Not-Quite-Right Pete's page

Yes, it was the Dead Man's chest that Pete took with him. He has no idea what it is. He just likes it.

Over the course of the next hour, Pete gets packed and ready to go. In the end he takes only a single chest and a canvas bag slung over his shoulder. And with that he bids Devlyn farewell, and heads away to places unknown.

"Well, that's most kind of you Pete. If that's what you wish, I can try and make sure everything gets a good home or gets put to good use. I guess we'd better get you packed up and provisioned then, huh?"

"That's about the size of it," Pete agreed, taking another shot of rum. "Soonest begun, soonest done, eh? Might as well get packing."

Not-Quite-Right Pete wrote:

Pete snorts. "Yeah, the first mate, he tried something like that. It don't help none. Naw, I'll just have to try to find somewhere even more remote to settle down. Somewhere so boring that Lucy would never want to go there."

"Oh that's just lovely - sheesh. Well, none of the places around here I could suggest would ever be described as 'boring', so I'm at a loss. If you feel like you need to move on, I'm more than happy to help you get started if you need liquid assets to do so in a hurry. I'm sad to lose the business of a good, honest merchant," he says as he raises a glass to Pete, "but I'd rather you be able to have a sane and happy life."

"Once you spend some quality time with Lucy, well, you're never quite sane again," he said morosely. "And don't be worrying about me. I gots enough savings left to be quite comfortable. The shop was more for something to do, like to keep busy and all. Ye can feel free to help yerself to anything what's there. Can have the whole darn thing iffen you life. I paid for it free and clear. I'll be cleared out by morning."

"It is a bit difficult to hide away from someone who can walk through walls, that's for sure," Devlyn says with a faint grin.
"There's a chance she'll leave you be now that she knows why you left. If she doesn't....I don't know. Maybe you could invest in some kind of magic-inert stone to wear as a ward. A solution like that is a double-edged sword, but it's an option."

Pete snorts. "Yeah, the first mate, he tried something like that. It don't help none. Naw, I'll just have to try to find somewhere even more remote to settle down. Somewhere so boring that Lucy would never want to go there."

Devlyn nods as Pete continues to knock back the rum shots.
"So she either has some interesting magic to allow her to roam far from the seas, or she was never really a mermaid to begin with, and just has a fascination with the sea. The phantom shoal of piranha I saw right before I found you could sway that thought either way I guess."

"So what happened when she was at your shop, other than the 'deadnoise' zone that seems to be surrounding it now?"

"It gave me a fright seeing her there like that, it surely did, and she took exception to that. I wasn't as diplomatic-like as I should have been what with being scared out of my mind and all, and when I said I didn't want any more apple dumplings and I liked a nice quiet life, well she left, but my shop got real quiet. Don't know as I can stay on now that she knows where I am. Not really sure where I can go, but there has to be somewhere."

"Savvy," he says as he slides him another shot. "So things go south and you try to break it off, and I'm guessing she wasn't too receptive to that idea?"

"I didn't stick around long enough to know whether she was receptive to the idea or not. I took off. All me crewmates were dead and it were just me and her, and I wasn't liking me chances. So I gots me chest, and I packed up enough to live comfortable on for the rest of me life, and I started walking. Kept walking for weeks. Then I found this place. Figured the middle of the desert were a good place to be getting away from a mermaid. Exceptin' the part where she walked through me front door yesterday. Right through it. While it was closed. Like it weren't even there."

"Stabbed himself with a............we do live in interesting times, don't we? So were you involved with this person, or did she just take a fancy to you?"

"A bit of both I suppose. She took a fancy to me, and I didn't know what she were, savvy? So I figured where's the harm. Don't know why such a lovely mermaid is bothering to waste her time with me, but enjoy it while it lasts, eh. And she made the best apple dumplings. Should have been a warning right there. Never trust a mermaid what knows how to cook."

"Then we'll get you a drink then. You pick the spot, I'll cover the tab."

Devlyn makes sure Pete can get his legs under him, then they go to the tavern of his choice to calm his nerves.

Pete makes a beeline for the nearest tavern and orders a bottle of rum. His hands shake as he picks up his glass and downs the first shot.

Not-Quite-Right Pete wrote:

Pete looks up startled. He hadn't heard anyone come in. "Has she gone?" he asks anxiously.

Morning all.

Devlyn doesn't hear anything, but can fortunately read Pete's lips and get what he's trying to say. He nods his head in answer to his question, then taps his ear and shakes his head to indicate he can't hear anything. He then motions to the door, and helps him up. He will try to get both of them outside (and hopefully out of the silence effect).

Pete reluctantly follows Devlyn outside into the Bazaar. They have to get a good distance away from the shop before sounds can be heard again. Pete is shaking and very upset.

Not-Quite-Right Pete wrote:

Pete is sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. He seems to be either talking or singing, but it's hard to tell without any noise.

Devlyn goes over to Pete, making sure to be in front of him, and kneels down, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Pete looks up startled. He hadn't heard anyone come in. "Has she gone?" he asks anxiously.

Devlyn heads over to Pete's shop and knocks. When he doesn't get an answer he tries the handle, noting that it is locked. It still smells like Pete is inside, though...

He goes around to the backside of the building where there is no foot traffic, and hides amongst the shadows. He then passes right through the wall into the shop. He is immediately aware of the wholly unnatural silence pervading the area - no creak of the floorboards, no sound of the bustling activity outside. He starts stealthily looking around for Pete, or any uninvited guests that may be here...

Pete is sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. He seems to be either talking or singing, but it's hard to tell without any noise.

Pete sits curled up on the floor, knees clasped tightly in front of him, rocking back and forth and singing a strange nonsense song over and over and over and over and over and over...

Oh, Pete, is that any way to treat an old friend?

I've heard that some BAD men were here earlier in the day, so I came here to look because they weren't looking for me, and I thought you'd be scared by them.
She continues to wander around the store talking out loud as she does so. Items rattle up and down as she passes, and green sparks sizzle and crackle.
Would you like me to cook for you Pete, like I used to? Make you a nice apple dumpling, to cheer you up?

"No. Please, no. Just leave me be." He is shaking in terror. "I don't want no dumplings no more. I can't be thinking straight round you, Lucy. I has a nice quiet life here. I likes that, I does."

Not-Quite-Right Pete wrote:

Lucinda Darkeyes wrote:

Feeling a lot more stifled and obvious since she bought the robe, but with people paying a lot less attention to her, Lucinda arrives outside of Slipknot Pete's store. She rattles the handle, to see if the store is closed.

The door is locked, and all the windows are covered.

Excellent! she claps her hands together and gives a cry of delight. It's closed, so that means it must be open.

She walks through the door, as if it were ethereal, and enters the shop.
Pete! Where are you Pete? she coos. It's your precious little mermaid, Lucy, here...
Just a thought, as to why he might be 'not quite right'.... :D
If not, she's just saying it because she feels like it.

Pete screams.

Feeling a lot more stifled and obvious since she bought the robe, but with people paying a lot less attention to her, Lucinda arrives outside of Slipknot Pete's store. She rattles the handle, to see if the store is closed.

The door is locked, and all the windows are covered.

Pete looks around. "Looks like the mess is pretty well cleaned up. Can't say as I'm likely to have too many other folks walking through my doors today. Sure hope those fellers forget the address. Don't you worry none about me. I'll be fine."

Not-Quite-Right Pete wrote:

Pete groans and opens his eyes, still in pain, as the healing magic begins to take effect.

Devlyn goes over to them.

"Pete - I'm glad we got here when we did. Don't try to move yet - Allura's magic is still doing its work to heal you. Do you remember what happened?"

"These dark-clad folks came into the shop and without so much as a how-de-doo, jist came at me. Didn't even say why. Jist grabbed me and started beatin' on me. I tried to fight, but there were jist too many of 'em. Oh, my poor shop. What a mess," he moaned as he looked around and saw the mess they'd made of his store.

Pete groans and opens his eyes, still in pain, as the healing magic begins to take effect.

Pete is laying unconscious and bleeding on the floor of his shop. The place is trashed, like a fight took place not that long ago. A handful of rubies have been thrown on Pete and a burnt rag with writing on it has been pinned to the wall.

The note: 'If that Dragon was your doing, faux tiefling woman, you will regret it greatly.'

The old fisherman finally gets around to reopening his shop. Not that anyone noticed that it had been closed. Customers were so rare. And he was free to spend some extra time collecting the odd sparkly bit. They looked like they would make good lures, he thought to himself.

"Bad storms be a coming," he mutter to himself as he closes the shutter tight over his shop windows, preparing to weather the storm in its relative safety.

"What's the hurry, kid?" the old man mutters in confusion as a small waif clutching two loaves of bread scampers past.

"Excellent!" He helps you round up the rubber duckies and rewraps the parcel. After he takes your money he looks around for a moment with a bemused look on his face.
"Now where did I put that goldarned cash box?"
He rummages around for a bit, bait boxes and traps flying every which way. "Ah, here it is. Knew I still had it around here somewhere." You hear a clinking sound as he puts the money into the box.
"You folks have a pleasant day, now, and come back any time."

"Here we are. I think." He scratched his head. "Well, probably." He opened the parcel. "Now how in hades did that get in there?" he asked, confused, as he tossed aside a box of rubber duckies. The duckies flew all over the shop in a shower of squeaks. "Ah, here we are. A Force Web. Just the thing for your sea elf friend, yes? And seeing as how you're the only customers I've had all month, I'll give you a good deal on it."

"Hmmmm, let me see here, it's been a while since I had to really look through the inventory you understand." He rummages through a pile of nets, throwing them every which way as he determines they aren't what he's looking for. "Silver net, now that was a story for you, and I hope I never see another vampire shark again in this lifetime. Good chance too this far from the ocean, but that's neither here nor there...Adamantine net....nope," he gasps, unable to lift it. "Too heavy. You know what, I bet I put that goldarned thing in the back room. I'll be right back."

A grizzled old sailor with an eyepatch and a peg leg hobbles out from behind the counter to greet them.
"Well bless my soul, customers. Noo, there's somethin' I don't see often." He scratches his head. "Prolly shoulda thought a that afore I put up a tackle shop in the desert. So, what can I get fer you fine folks today."