Panamax sighs. "I almost made it. Reset the counter, Anson."
Round 2:
Oh God, rules. I think I remember this.
"Bad flesh machine," Panamax says sadly. He gestures at the machine and closes his fist.
Onslaught of Flesh. It's been almost (but not quite) a week since Anson asked Panamax to try not to use it, so I think Panamax is going to overdo it a bit. Double Effort to increase damage. I think that should cost 5 points (factoring in the base cost of Onslaught and the Edge) from the Pool. Dealing 12 points of damage and leaving Panamax at 13 points remaining in his Int pool.
Here are some choices for you. Or you can, as always come up with your own.
* The creature's skin bubbles and a dozen thin filaments extend out through cracks in the bubbles, wrapping tightly around the creature's torso, extending and retracting, extending and retracting, giving it the worst case of flesh-on-flesh rug burn that it is ever likely to experience.
* The mastigophore's head begins to grow asymmetrically, the right side expanding at about three times the rate of the left. The right side of the mouth hangs limply, large and loose.
* Furrows appear as the creature's body reconfigures itself into the shape of the inside of Panamax's fist. It ends up much taller, slightly thinner, and very lopsided.
Panamax drips quietly. He accepts the offer of Nalo's jacket to dry off his face. "Thank you," he says.
Panamax looks around as the group passes through the various rooms. He holds up his hand toward one of the fabric-covered floating creches, then slowly lowers it to his side.
"Let's see how bright the numenera is," Panamax agrees with Nalo. "If it's dim, we will need more light.
Panamax responds with small twitches and sharp inhalations of breath. "you are entirely too good at that" Panamax's voice is a little hoarse, his tone is approving, and his breathing is shallow. He half-sits and reaches down to tousle Jarris' hair.
"I ... uh..." Panamax swallows and somehow manages to flush even more around the face as he makes eye contact with Jarris. "that is wonderful, but ... " Panamax's face goes through contortions as his word search engine is shutting down. "baci di fuoco ... too soon ... cometa ... I don't know the word," he gasps.
Panamax eagerly allows himself to be pulled over to the bed. His body seems smaller when out from under his robes, and his undergarment is simple and gray.
Panamax revels in the skin contact from Jarris, and returns his kiss with an uptick in urgency. "You are wearing entirely too much," Panamax helps Jarris out of his clothing.
Panamax makes a point of running his fingers over any scars and lightly kissing them. He runs his fingers down Jarris' neck and across Jarris' shoulders. "Some tension there," He traces down Jarris' arms to his hands. He clasps Jarris' hands in his, presses his face into Jarris' chest, and inhales deeply.
He makes eye contact with Jarris and smiles. "This is a good look for you."
Panamax studies the writing, turning it this way and that. He draws circles in the air with his finger as he studies the looping whorls. After a few minutes he frowns, turns it upside down, frowns again, turns it back over, and snorts a heh. He hands it back to Jarris. It says, "this is the front".
Nalo/Kilo/Kordech:
As the man tells him his story, Panamax slowly nods. The last bit of tension eases out of him. "That's understandable," he says. "Desperate people do desperate things."
He claps the man on the shoulder -- gently, so as not to disturb the baby. "No more old world remedies for a while, hm?"
Panamax does what he can to bring the mother around. "Sound advice," he says to Nalo.
"Emergency surgery," Panamax keeps his voice pitched low for Nalo and Kilo, "I don't carry a blade, but I need one. This is our best chance."
There is an edge to his voice.
gm:
i am saving 5 int pool in case Panamax feels the woman is in imminent danger of dying. Two efforts would normally drop the difficulty of the first healing to zero. Even if it was a normal baby, Panamax prioritizes the mother. Please do that at the appropriate time even if I am afk. Today is all phone posts until maybe 8 pm your time. He's not a surgeon, but I figure he has at least been present at emergency c sections. Two reasons he is not healing her immediately. One, that seals baby inside. Two, he really wants "mom" to stay unconscious.
"That's atypical. Heat some water, please," Panamax says to the man. "Nalo, please be a second pair of eyes on everything except what I am doing."
Panamax begins to check the woman over, feeling forehead, checking pulse, what is the pregnant bulge doing?, etc
Okay ... let's test-drive this shiny new Effort. Panamax is trying to figure out what the heck is going on -- is this a genuine spontaneous pregnancy? Puffball pregnancy? Horrifying tapeworm? Etc. Would also love to know what's about to happen rather than just riding out, but ... dice
Panamax leads Nalo through the streets of Kordech. Pausing at each intersection for a moment before choosing a direction (seemingly) at random. He glances up periodically at The Tower as if to orient himself.
Panamax swallows and takes a moment before answering. "It is what I want," he says. He looks down briefly, then looks back at Jarris. "Let me be blunt. I like you. I would like to have sex with you. Is this what you want?"
Panamax swallows again. He cups Jarris' face in his hands. "If you need to talk first, I am at your disposal."
Panamax leans his body into Jarris -- not aggressively, but a gentle pressure. His lips respond gently to the first kiss, breathing in as Jarris breathes out, inhaling the other man's breath.
He steadies himself with his hands on Jarris' hips. Panamax responds to Jarris with a hunger of his own and a small happy noise in the back of his throat as Jarris nibbles on his lip. One hand sneaks up to Jarris' neck and Panamax's fingernails start to trace little circles just below Jarris' ear
"mmm" Panamax says when he breaks the kiss for air. His breathing more ragged than before. He leans in for another kiss, more insistent than the last. He tastes of the floral tea and also of desire. His arms clasp behind Jarris, and he holds tightly, as though to avoid being swept off his feet. His pulse pounds in his neck, and the small happy noise returns.
Again his breathing is somewhat ragged when he breaks for air.
A flash of Panamax remembering people's faces from the prior time Esha fed on Panamax: Jarris, Nalo, Tavene, Anson, Kilo.
Do not ask her, please. After you have been introduced, then she can be present while you eat from me.
And maybe the next time you can eat from someone else if you like.
"No," Panamax says, getting to his feet. "Mental conversation is inherently private. But I can watch your face and body language, and maybe that makes you uncomfortable."
Kordech
"We can visit the library first," Panamax says. "I assume it closes."
She settles herself with her back supported and reaches out to touch the surface of the patched cylinder, pauses, [b]"Any special introduction you need to make?" Fingers just shy by millimeters.
"It knows what you look like and the first part of your name," Panamax says. "I wasn't sure that I could pronounce the rest of it, so I am leaving that up to you. Note that it communicates through pictures and sensations as much as words...." Panamax thinks for a moment.
Esha:
I will be handing your container over to Nalo for a while so you can be properly introduced. I will be nearby but maybe out of mind talk range. For privacy.
"Its full name is Esha Ahora Malim, but I call it Esha."
Panamax gently presses the cylinder into Nalo's hands. "I will move off a ways to give you privacy."
On the fourth night, but not so late as to be unseemly, Panamax finds Nalo and sits nearby. He pulls a familiar-looking cylinder from his backpack. "Ready for the introductions?"
Things To Do In Kordech
"I do have an errand to complete," Panamax says. "I don't expect that it will take long."
Basically it's an open opportunity if anyone wants to invite themselves along before Panamax goes haring off by himelf.
Panamax digs the belt out of his backpack and hands it carefully to Nalo. He points out the needle. "I think it's okay to get wet," he says. "Was it a good rain?"
She blinks, "Can we just plan one heist at a time?"
"I am bad at planning," Panamax says. "Can we start with dinner and a place to stay?"
Jarris:
Panamax smells a little of sunlight and a little of honey. His cheeks and jaw are smooth to the touch -- without a hint of facial hair.
At the touch of Jarris' fingers, Panamax lets out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. Panamax's eyes darken as his large pupils dim some of their fierce blueness. The pulse in his cheek flutters against Jarris' palm.
Panamax looks at Jarris, opens his mouth to say something, and closes it again. Smiles. Reaches up with his free hand and brushes a stray lock of hair back from Jarris' forehead. As part of the same motion, but very deliberately, he leans in for the kiss.
Panamax raises an imaginary glass. "To new experiences," he says. "And even the occasional new boredom."
Tavene:
"That sounds like a fair trade to me," Panamax says. And adds, with a small smile, "Please don't hesitate to fetch me if you need something I'm good at."
As soon as Kordech and the tower come into view, Panamax reverts to gawker/hick mode. He lets out an involuntary whoa as the town gets closer and he realizes just how tall the tower must be.
He is impressed by the shiul, the size of the town, even the smell gets an odd compliment: "It's like it expands to press up against the inside of my head all at once."
I don't know why dreaming is done, but I have heard that those who cannot dream go mad. Perhaps it is as you say, and it reminds me that I am alive.
I am bad at explaining these things, but you are good at making me think of them in new ways.
I am pleased to talk to you again today.
Ceri:
"No drinking needed for this story," Panamax says. "I left Standifer in order to spread my ... um ... horizons. I had never been more than a day's travel from the town center in any direction." Panamax gestures with his hand as he spins slowly in a circle.
"And here I am, meeting new people, seeing new sights. Even the boredom is new boredom. I know that there is a place for me when I return to Standifer, and it will wait for me."
"And you?" His eyes return to Ceri's shadowed face in the flickering firelight. "Is there anything you seek out here besides yourself?"
Tavene:
Tavene wrote:
Tavene attempts to smooth her hair down after Panamax has finished.
A thought visibly occurs to Panamax. "Oh. If you ever want me to look you over in lieu of a mirror, I am entirely willing."
He smiles at Tavene's invisible toast. "I will make the attempt. Success or failure, it won't be boring."
Tavene wrote:
"Are you worried you're not paying enough attention and might miss an ambush? Someone turning on you?"
Panamax is entirely taken aback by this question. "I ... no. That wasn't what I meant at all. I was talking about those conversations where certain things are pointedly not said." He laughs, quietly. "I fully expect to miss an ambush. I am a terrible tactical thinker. If you ever have advice to offer on the subject, I will listen and not take offense at basic suggestions. I promise you."
Jarris:
Panamax also sets down his cup of tea, grinning at the glint. "I will spare you the bit about how tea is bitter if it has to wait too long -- but if you don't wait long enough, the buds have not yet fully opened. I'm sure you can fill in the details."
Panamax takes Jarris' hand firmly, and steps in close. The pulse point in his neck giving away his interest. "Let me put this plain. If you would like to jot this night down in your journal or a romance novel, I am interested."
He looks Jarris in the eyes and blushes furiously. "And even if not, I would still like to do something nice for you. To be determined."
Panamax gestures toward the hedges. "Esha says the minds here have no pulse and no thoughts," Panamax looks at Nalo. "They are only fading dreams," he says sadly.
"I will ask," Panamax says. He walks near the hedges and closes his eyes.
GM:
...and asks Esha. Are there minds in these plants nearby?
Mathias/Nalo Flex
Panamax nods. "I will add that to my list of things people don't like to talk about in uncertain company. Thank you for bringing it up. I would have blundered into it on my own otherwise."
"That sounds like a good place for a visit," Panamax says. "Er ... where is it exactly? I assume it's far. There are many places that I would like to see, and now I have one more."
"No clue," Panamax says. "But don't put it on. There is a needle here to jab the flesh of whoever wears it. Maybe someone else can wring more sense out of it."
"I am ready to head back if you and Kilo and Zoa are up for it."
"I am sorry that I missed out on the cookies, but also not sorry that I missed out on turning into a plant." Panamax looks at Miyuki, and shrugs. "You have a good story to tell for a free drink, though."
"Hmm," Panamax says. "I haven't seen anything quite like this before. A hit of healing should take care of any scrapes or cuts, but it isn't going to help with infection. I'm still working on that."
"Short version?" His face goes through some interesting contortions (forehead wrinkles, lips purse, eyes look up and to the right and off into nothingness) as he edits the story in his head.
"I was an apprentice. Midwifing a difficult birth." As he tells the story, color comes into Panamax's cheeks and his jaw clenches. He pauses longer than usual between sentences. "The mother was my friend Quigley. It was bad. She was dying. I wanted her not to die very much."
He stops talking, and takes an unsteady breath. Then next breath is steadier, and then he is breathing normally again.
"I kept her from dying that day. She died a few days later, of infection."
Feel free to jump these around in time. I assume that Panamax is mentally chatting with Esha at several points during any given day.
Esha wrote:
Your pulse slows
Your thoughts scatter
You... dream of many things
Esha says this in lieu of a more traditional "good morning".
Good morning. Are there any of these things that you have questions about?
Panamax attempts to remember his dreams, which seem to be right on the edge of memory -- but as he reaches for them mentally, they recede.
Ceri:
Ceri wrote:
"Honestly, I'm not even sure what all is going on in there." She gestures to herself with a broad wave of her hand.
Panamax chuckles. "If you don't know, then I shouldn't be the one to tell you."
"Standifer is inland of here, and I think to the South. Couple days out from some hills."
Panamax thinks. Squints his eyes as he tries to envision a map. Shrugs. "I'll go back when I'm ready."
Tavene:
Tavene wrote:
"But if it doesn't bother you, don't mind my discomfort. I'm not very adept at hiding how I feel about things. Any things."
Panamax finishes fishing the leaf fragments out of Tavene's hair. "There," he says, returning his hands to his sides. "I haven't been paying attention to the people around me as much as I should," Panamax admits. "There have been too many other nifty things to see."
"Jarris is easier to interact with, than, say, Kilo. Jarris flirts, I flirt back. It's a game, and who knows what lies underneath?"
Panamax hesitates, then adds "I may attempt to find out."
Jarris:
"I am no maiden, and you are denying the role of hero."
Another sip of tea. The cup is only half-full now, Panamax has to tilt his head to look at Jarris over the rim as he sips.
"But I am fair, and you are dashing. The least I can do is swoon into your arms and say my hero."
Another sip of tea, and a raised eyebrow. "The least. After we have finished our tea, of course."
Nalo looks extremely dubious at the healer's words. "You don't think..." In her shock, Nalo's voice rises from the whisper, at least until a shout from one of the children reminds her why she is being quiet.
After a deep breath she speaks quietly but intently. Then her head tilts to the side.
Panamax takes a half-step back, speaks quietly, and dips his head to Nalo.
Quiet conversation with Nalo:
Panamax takes a half-step back as Nalo's voice raises, a startled expression briefly crossing his face.
"Get to know Esha," Panamax says. "Help me teach it how to human."
