Abmdcsr06

Peter|GM: So anyway,
Peter|GM: Life is a bittersweet mixed drink called "Stellar Road" .
Peter|GM: The Pure of Heart coasts gently through billowing, pillar-like clouds against the background of a brilliant blue, sundappled nebula.
Lin is seated on her chair in the control room… not really doing terribly much at the moment. Unless spinning around in her chair counts for something.
Jorule: "Oh hey, we actually landed this time."
Lin tilts her head over her shoulder. "Mmmmn? What are you going on about now?"
Aurelius has his eyes closed, his mind jacked into the nav computer. They're having a bit of a contest- who can calculate the closest path to as many black holes as possible en route to Wagul II.
Jorule: "We've just be circling this section of the galaxy for a while now… and it looks like we're finally coming in for a landing."
[OOC] Jorule: been^
Lin: "Strange. We haven't heard from the LT yet for this one. Wonder why we're landing."
Peter|GM: Naw, no landing just yet. I mean, this section of space just happens to have clouds in it.
Peter|GM: Like in Mario Galaxy. You know.
Peter|GM: (Anyway, the LT's on the line.)
Jorule: "Well, you could ask her."
Aurelius mumbles under his breath as he disengages from his 'game' and opens his eyes.
Lin: "Also we haven't been circling around. Have you been drinking or something?" She hits a few buttons on the keyboard bringing a comm line to the big screen.
Jorule: "I have definitely been drinking. But we've also been circling. Strafing even. But that's not important. What is important, is -" Jorule poitns to the monitor with L.T n it.
Peter|GM: So, the L.T is definitely like, seven kinds of hung-over. She steadies what must be the camera on her end, points it down to where she's sprawled across her desk, bleary eyes blinking. "Right. Uh, damn. So…"
Peter|GM: "(can I turn the goddamn brightness down on this or-)"
Peter|GM: "So… you know… you know frogs."
Aurelius grins. "Morning, L.T. Might I recommend some of the hair of the dog that bit you?"
Aurelius nods his head. "Or slime of the frog."
Jorule: "Frogs! Screw 'em."
Lin offers a cheerful wave to the monitor. "Frogs are alright in small doses."
Lin: "Get them together though and things start to get tricksy."
Peter|GM: "Yeah, laugh it up. So, uh, beach resort planet… the, the… the one in this quadrant, you know. Fucking six or something. I'll upload the coordinates."
Lin brings up another screen showing a map of the nearby galaxy. "Viewing now."
Jorule: "Man, my resentment of frogs was totally sincere, L.T."
Lin: "So like, is this a paid vacation for dealing with insane requests or something? I think a day at the beach would do us some good."
Peter|GM: It's displayed - beautifully clear, the perfect surf visible even from space, the vast stretches of beach shining like diamonds. The One In This Quadrant Fucking IV (Or Something) spins gently on the display.
Aurelius: "If it's a vacation you're paying us to take, that works too."
Peter|GM: "Fuck, I wish. No, they're paving the damn thing to put up a fitness center."
Peter|GM: "And the frogs hired you."
Lin: "Say whaaaaaaaaaaat!?"
Jorule holds his arms over his chest, neither enthused nor impressed.
Lin slams her fist on to the desk. "That's outrageous. How are we supposed to have crazy beach episodes if they destroy the beach. I won't stand for this!"
Aurelius: "If each frog causes three problems… then which frog hired us?" He grins.
Peter|GM: "Gimme a second I have the briefing somewhere."
Peter|GM: LT rifles through papers. "ok here we go"
Jorule: "More to the point… Why are we taking jobs from frogs? This won't end well."
Lin: "Let me guess. They wrote ribbit."
Aurelius swivels in his chair to whisper to Jorule. "(You know… it does feel pretty empty, lately.)"
Aurelius swivels back to face L.T.
Jorule glances at Aurelius, counts to three on his fingers, then counts three empty spaces in the room. Furrows his eyebrows.
Jorule: "Goddammit it's already started!"
Peter|GM: "Approximately thirty fucking years ago in the legendary summer of 68 the CEO of zeCORP - at the time the son of its CEO - was humiliated in a surfing contest over spring break, after which, while swearing revenge and wearing the entire contents of Joe's Milkshake Stand, promised he would one day show all those long-haired punks that they'll never make it in the real world, and so on,
Peter|GM: and so forth. "
Aurelius: "Feel-good contest of the summer, right."
Peter|GM: "Right. So he, you know, rezoned the damn thing, preparing to raze it to the ground."
Peter|GM: "However, being a whole damn planet and all, the thing is 0.01% actual tourist-accessible beaches and essentially 100% pristine wetlands-"
Peter|GM: "favorite of, among a diverse set of animals, the frogs."
Peter|GM: "So… yeah."
Lin: "Wait, so it's not -actually- a beach resort?"
Aurelius: "1% of a planet is a pretty large amount."
Lin taps her finger on her desk before glancing up at the monitor. "More importantly, how did you even get this request from the frogs? I'm curious."
Aurelius: "…well, 0.01% whatever anyway-"
Jorule: "Well presumably a frog sat down at a computer,"
Jorule: "And it went like this," Jorule sort of flails his hands at a keyboard vaguely, "type type type, and then hit send."
Peter|GM: "I think there's special keyboards that you hop on?"
Lin: "And the LT just happened to be in this CEO's contact list?"
Lin: "What are they even paying us with?"
Aurelius: "L.T.'s got connections, yeah?"
Peter|GM: "They've promised to remove a problem."
Jorule: "Diiiid they specifiy which one."
Lin: "This better be an amazing 0.01% of a beach as that is super vague."
Peter|GM: "No, I think it's… up to you guys?"
Peter|GM: "LIke a voucher."
Lin blinks.
Jorule: "Oh."
Aurelius: "Sounds like a deal."
Lin: "Why didn't you just say that to begin with? I'm game."
Peter|GM: "Yeah. So just…"
Peter|GM: "Do beach things…"
Peter|GM: "Until the problem is resolved."
Peter|GM: "Fuck, I don't know."
Jorule: "Voucher for problem removal, get to help an evil CEO prove a bunch of beach bum suck hard…" Jorule rocks his head from side to side.
Peter|GM: "Oh, no, it's the other way around."
Peter|GM: "The frogs want you to -save- the beach."
Aurelius: "It'll be the sequel to the feel-good contest of the summer."
Peter|GM: "Cause… they live on it."
Jorule: "That's so much less fun though."
Lin: "He's weighing the two options."
Lin: "The other being to help the CEO."
Aurelius: "Grab your surfboard, be ready to chow on some hot dogs, and prep the shaved ice."
Peter|GM: "Fuck, right, sorry."
Lin: "And I mean, I understand where he's coming from. If we want to do the first we just use KP. The latter doesn't always come around though."
Peter|GM: "It's too early for this shit."
Aurelius: "'cause we're going in hot and singing."
Aurelius: "C'mon now, that's not the right spirit."
Aurelius: "(Don't start talking about which of the 8 spirits is the right one.)"
Aurelius: "Even on a vacation one does things."
Lin: "(Since when was there eight spirits?)"
Aurelius: "This one gets us a frog voucher. kP is everywhere, frog vouchers are rare!"
Lin: "Can you even swim, by the way?"
Lin: "Won't your equipment… y'know."
Peter|GM: "We've approved clearance for Beach Mode."
Peter|GM: "So, uh, he doesn't have to worry."
Aurelius laughs. "This isn't the 20th century!"
Aurelius: "Besides… it's not like LT would throw any of us into a situation we couldn't handle."
Aurelius: "Right?"
Lin: "All I'm saying is if your solution is a hovercraft attachment I'm taking pictures."
Aurelius: "I think that'd be cheating…"
Lin: "You should join us someday, LT. I think you could use something like a beach trip."
Peter|GM: "Aw, you know what."
Peter|GM: "Sure, lemme just… clean out my system, or something."
[OOC] Peter|GM: <3
Aurelius gives the screen a thumbs up!
Peter|GM: The Pure of Heart gently drifts through cloud-dappled space. You can probably wake up just about now and ask for a recap, Artemis. It isn't like you missed anything that hearing Jorule explain wouldn't be hilarious.
Peter|GM: (But I mean, there's a job.)
[OOC] Artemis: <3
Lin spins her chair one last time before hopping off of it and making her way off of the bridge. "I'll meet you all down by the loading bay I need to get changed and find a volleyball or something."
Aurelius: "Right, right."
Jorule: "TEMPORAL PROBLEMS!"
Jorule grumbles and swears to himself as he heads for the loading bay.
Artemis‘ makes thoughtful noises, "So, how many frogs and how many problems will there be…"
Jorule: "Too many. I already hate it here and we’re not even on the ground yet."
Aurelius 's voice modulates ever so slightly. "Oh. Dude. Don't be a bummer."
Jorule: "It is too late to cast my vote for helping the CEO instead of the frogs? It probably is."
Peter|GM: The Pure of Heart locks on course, aims in on coordinates. The… the planet… you know the one? It's like, sixth in the system?
Peter|GM: Looms large through the windows.
Lin shows up at the loading bay in a one piece carrying a beach volleyball, a net, some towels and a few other things in a dufflebag. "We all set?"
[OOC] Aurelius: what color
Jorule: "No. I mean yes."
[OOC] Lin: Black probably!
[OOC] Aurelius: double strap, neck strap, no strap
[OOC] Lin: Double jesus I should have typed this to begin with.
[OOC] Aurelius: bahahah save it
[OOC] Aurelius: for when you're in the water then???
Aurelius: "Yeah, just about, I'll be right behind you all."
[OOC] Aurelius: low cut, high cut, g-cut
Lin raises a hand and stage whispers to Jorule. "(What was that outburst about earlier anyways?)"
Aurelius slides down a hatch to his quarters right fast.
Jorule: "We're already running into problems, is what."
Lin: "Such as…?"
Jorule: "Randomly missing crew, me losing time and getting roped into agreeing to this nonsense for starters."
Lin chews at her lip before nodding. "Well, Mudouma is -never- around so I'm not really sure that's different. And we all know Hamaris can sleep through anything."
Jorule: "They aren't insurmountable problems, but they are problems none the less."
Peter|GM: The ship lands. The beach awaits you, when you're ready.
Lin opens the hatch via remote before running out on to the beach proper. "Days wasting, let's get started."
Jorule shakes his head, begrudgingly following after her.
Aurelius rises on a platform onto the loading bay amidst jets of smoke and odd strobe lighting. His hair is done up and frosted with a multitude of colors; he wears a bright-red open shirt with palm trees and a small black speedo. A dapple of blue sunscreen is painted onto his nose. Sunglasses slide into place from around the sides of his eyes.
Peter|GM: The sun is shining. The beach isn't too crowded - parasols dotted here and there, food stalls selling grilled squid and slushies. The sand is white, gloriously warm underneath the footprints. The stalks of the dune rise behind you, just past the parking lot.
Jorule: "Wait, you actually *do* have a pair of legs?"
Aurelius: "Mechanical, but yeah."
Lin: "I was hoping you were going to be a bit less of a sourpuss than Jorule, Aurelius." Her grin is getting pretty wide.
Aurelius: "That's not a hard bar to limbo under."
Peter|GM: Somebody's even selling fresh watermelons.
Peter|GM: Off against the beautifully blue horizon, the construction fleet looms, just on the edge of the water.
Peter|GM: The surf is enormous. The waves are the biggest you've seen in the universe.
Lin: "So, what do we want to do first? Have a surfing contest? We can't really play Volleyball with three of us."
Aurelius: "Find the client? Find CEO-boy and put pie in his face?"
Peter|GM: There's a boardwalk up to the marshland over there, a long stretch of beach in front of you, and at the far end, what looks like a region cordoned off as private.
Aurelius: "And Artemis makes four for volleyball."
Jorule: "Would that actually help…? Well I'm game for it if you are."
Lin: "No, no, no. No pie in his face! Not yet."
Aurelius chuckles as he disembarks, looking for a good place to pitch an umbrella among the sand… ah, not but 20 yalms away.
Artemis‘ strides onto the beach and opens up a big parasol, donning her Eschaton sunglasses and wearing a red haltertop two piece bikini. "Volleyball sounds fun… a surfing contest also sounds pretty good… hm."
Lin: "Actually you know what, let’s see if you've learned anything over the years Jorule. I want us to go talk to this CEO and you to ask him to shut down this operation because some nonhumanly thing is asking us to."
Artemis‘ flags down the fellow selling fresh watermelons and buys three.
Lin: "Because that worked -so- well last time."
Peter|GM: He takes the money with a smile, packing them into a paper bag for you. Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon overbooaaar- well, almost. He catches it and hands it to you.
Jorule: "It wasn’t even my idea, Lin. And I haven't even been mean to you today! Maybe I should start though."
Jorule: "Either way,"
Jorule: "I imagine we're pretending the easiest solution to this problem doesn't exist."
Lin tilts her head. "… destroy all the construction equipment?"
Aurelius: "Don't you get tired of destroying stuff?"
Lin: "He said the easiest!"
Jorule: "Well that and kill the guy. And probably the next time line. But." He shrugs.
[OOC] Jorule: next in line^
Artemis‘ drops a watermelon down and basically karate chops the thing open, cleanly in half.
Aurelius: "I know he said easiest, but I mean… it all crumples in the end, right?"
Lin: "Ooooooor…."
Artemis: "Hm, I expected that to be a lot messier- but this will work just fine."
Aurelius: "So for a day, why not just kick sand in its face?" He shuffles over towards Artemis, eyeing the chopped watermelon.
Peter|GM: The two halves fall apart easily. Watermelon flesh glistens with juice in the sun.
Lin slams her fists together. "We could plan an elaborate surfing competition and rig it so the CEO wins, thus returning him to glory and pacifying his thirty year grud- actually that sounds like too much work."
Artemis` works a little magic and slices up the halves of waltermelon into even slices
Jorule: "Such foresight and conviction."
Artemis` offers a slice to Aurelius, biting off a large hunk of a slice herself.
Aurelius: "We could put up the ’resort' against his zoning claim over a series of competitions both physical and aesthetic."
Artemis‘ devours the slice right down to the barest edge of the rind
Aurelius takes a slice. "Ah,t hank you-"
Lin: "He has no reason to accept the challenge. He owns the property. And he’s a sore loser and wouldn't abide by the terms anyways. He did lose a surfing competition over spring break thirty years ago and held on to that grudge until today where he plans to destroy the beach so no one can enjoy it anymore, remember?"
Aurelius: "If he was a clear-thinking guy, maybe. You have to be kinda nuts to nurse a grudge for that long."
Aurelius: "Y'know.'
Aurelius: "Let's just go see him! Take him some watermelon."
Aurelius: "'s that alright?" he asks of ARtemis.
Lin: "Okay, but I'm not stopping security after you smash a watermelon in the guys face."
Aurelius: "That's for the third act, or to help win a race."
Aurelius: "But, shh- not too loud, someone will hear."
Artemis‘ nods, "go for it."
Aurelius scans about and hefts a watermelon, heading for the cordoned off area.
Peter|GM: The Private Zone: Cordoned off behind velvet rope, the private zone is a place of plastic tents and lawn-chairs, of far more waitresses running around serving drinks than actual guests. Security goons, suffering in their black suits and sunglasses, run to shoo off a seagull that pauses to roost on the immaculately maintained sand.
Peter|GM: The centerpiece of it all is the tremendous chaise-longue of the CEO, pointed towards the ocean, attended by six electric fans, a long cooler of exotic drinks, and an automatic parasol.
Jorule: "Hmm. I suppose I should blend in a bit." Jorule places a hand on the side of his outfit, rugs once, then rips the entire thing free and tossing it into nowhere, left only wearing a pair of green and black trunks before they reach the private zone.
Peter|GM: You can mentally sort everyone in the zone into two groups:
Peter|GM: Those who are, obviously or secretly, probably being paid to be here…
Peter|GM: …And -that- douchebag.
Jorule pauses at the entrance, scrunching his face up.
Aurelius heads for the velvet rope and steps over it, heading for the CEO.
Jorule: "(…You feel that?)"
Lin offers a friendly smile to the security detail, but she keeps on walking through.
Jorule shrugs apologetically to the guards as he follows behind.
Peter|GM: The guards let you pass through without a second thought.
Peter|GM: Trunks, shades, oily black hair. The CEO barely looks up at you as you approach, clicking away on his smartphone. (or "sumafo" ).
Peter|GM: "I am Ozymandias, king of kings. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and…" He shoves his shades down a little.
Aurelius: "…party on?"
Lin: "Sounds exciting."
Jorule: "…I thought you were the CEO?"
Peter|GM: "…Despair. Was my private zone inadequately labelled?"
Aurelius: "Oh, no, we’re aware."
Lin: "I just wanted to have a little chat, y'know?"
Peter|GM: "It's a poem, you idiots. They make a-"
Jorule glances around a bit, pauses, pulls a pair of tan tinted sunglasses out of somewhere and sets them on Lin's face.
Peter|GM: "Sure, let's -chat-."
Lin glances at Jorule confused for a second but doesn't take them off.
Lin: "Right. So… we've been getting a lot of feedback recently regarding your reconstruction project. There seem to be a large number of… entities against it."
Aurelius: "That poem is really old. But otherwise- we're glad you're bringing a planet of fitness to an actual planet, but we've come to ask you to pare it down to like… probably just this 0.01% here." He waves a hand about.
Aurelius: "The good lookin' bit."
Peter|GM: "You know what people really care about?"
Peter|GM: "I don't mean, you know, what they SAY they care about. What they actually hold…"
Peter|GM: "Dear to their hearts."
Aurelius: "Pride?"
Peter|GM: "Fitness shakes. I mean, people say they feel good after exercising, but what they -really- like, is, after exercising, or BEFORE exercising…"
Peter|GM: "They have a drink that tastes pretty like the dessert-style crap they drink 24/7, but the texture's like-"
Peter|GM: "A little wheaty, and there's sort of a hint of vegetable in it, or what the fuck ever."
Peter|GM: "And then, bam, you leave the planet sipping on that, you feel like you've -accomplished- something."
Jorule: "A compelling point, to be sure."
Peter|GM: "So, I mean, the heart of the project is - we put people in tanks, we provide them with the -memory- of having done fitness, and we circulate a fitness shake through them - in tanks, millions, billions of people -"
Peter|GM: "And we pipe the conduit for it right through the heart of the planet, so it sticks."
Peter|GM: "So, yes, you damned environmentalists or whatever, we do have to raze the entire planet to do it."
Artemis‘ splits another watermelon open while listening to him ramble on.
Aurelius slowly turns to look at the group.
Jorule: "Well, I don’t know how to argue against that. It's a perfectly reasonable plan."
Aurelius: "(When the hell did we get on the set of The Core?)"
Jorule: "I gotta ask though."
Jorule: "What's with the mana free zone?"
Peter|GM: "Mana's not real, kid. It's a fairy story."
Jorule: "…How many of those things have you drunk today?"
Peter|GM: "Which things?"
Jorule: "Whatever intoxicant you're drinking."
Jorule: "Because, you're drunk."
Peter|GM: "Oh, like, in total?"
Peter|GM: "A million."
Jorule: "Yeah see, that's a lot."
Peter|GM: "Turns out if you drink enough, you can shunt the toxicity off onto other people. It's great."
Aurelius: "(Someone tell LT.)"
Jorule: "Huh!"
Peter|GM: "Surpass c, really -break- the blood-brain barrier."
Lin opens her mouth a few times before closing it again. She's seemingly dumbfounded at both the intentions and how dumb this guy is.
Jorule: "On the other hand, I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that and you're just… totally blitzed. And completely out of your mind."
Peter|GM: "Okay, first, shut the fuck up, I could buy your ass a million times over and use it for paving a road of length equal to the width of the road divided by the width of your ass times the length of your ass, secondly, fuck you."
Jorule: "I don't think you could."
Peter|GM: He turns his attention back to his phone, where he puts an 8 on another 8, making a 16.
Aurelius: "Getting into it, now." He grins. "The problem is, that the frogs sent us."
Peter|GM: "What, like, ribbit ribbit, hop hop, eat flies, those guys?"
Lin: "Yeah, those guys."
Lin: "Not the secret Mafia that was dumb enough to call themselves The Frogs."
Peter|GM: "So what? They give you a phonecall or something?"
Peter|GM: "Ribbit ribbit, please save our planet Ferngully?"
Lin: "Wait wait wait, slow down. A guy like -you- watched Ferngully?"
Jorule: "No, they use email. Like any sane person."
Lin: "I'm calling my friends, just a sec. I have to tell them this."
Lin pulls out her phone and starts dialing.
Aurelius: "It was pretty much a staple on Sundays- er."
Aurelius: "Anyway yeah, ribbit ribbit, lilypads, cause problems. Frogs."
Aurelius: "It's a huge problem on this planet, seeing as how 99.99% of it is frog occupied."
Peter|GM: "Do frogs hold any fucking stock in zeCORP?"
Peter|GM: "No? I don't give a damn."
Aurelius: "It's more a matter of dealing with the problems in front of you, now, while you still can. We're willing to make it a fair game, too."
Lin hits a few more buttons on her phone as the conversation carries on. She moves in a bit closer and starts to whistle as she tethers her device to his.
Peter|GM: "What are you talking about, you tin can?"
Aurelius: "It's easy. You and your crew against us an ours, in a best of 3 beach-variety games, contests, et al."
Aurelius: "Unless you're too chicken to try again after getting dunked thirty years ago."
Peter|GM: "Pfft. You're on."
Peter|GM: "But if you lose, I'm melting you all down for the shake-vats."
Jorule: "Fair enough."
Lin: "Wait, what?"
Jorule: "You know, for the pseudo fitness center."
Aurelius: "It's a deal."
Lin: "I know what it's for! Why are we melting people!"
Aurelius: "We just don't have to lose, Lin."
Peter|GM: "Why the fuck would you ask that if you know what it's for?"
Jorule: "He's doing it because he doesn't like us."
Jorule: "Obviously."
Lin chews at her lip before nodding to Aurelius. "Yeah, okay. I can get behind that. We aren't going to lose so it's not a thing."
Peter|GM: The CEO looks straight at Lin. "When you lose, I'm gonna -mainline- you."
Jorule: "It sounds dirty when you say it like that."
Aurelius: "I think that was the point."
Lin offers a cheeky salute. "Oh yeah? And how do you plan to beat all of us. Do you even have friends or are they just here for the money?"
Peter|GM: "I'll bring em in."
Aurelius: "We'd better get ready, then. Oh, and-" He lets the watermelon roll from his hands, into the CEO's lap and hands and sumafo.
Aurelius: "A present."
Peter|GM: "Sure. Run along, now."
Jorule swipes one of those drinks with the little umbrella's in it on the way out.
Aurelius turns and walks over the dunes, back towards the planted umbrella.
Lin follows after the others, glancing at her phone once they get out of sight. "So. I tapped his phone. If he's planning any dirty tricks we should hear about it."
Aurelius: "Good call."
Jorule: "Seriously though, you guys noticed there's basically no mana in that entire zone, right?"
Peter|GM: And yeah, you catch him: He sends out a contract request -immediately-, to a group of mercenaries you sorta know.
Aurelius: "I didn't, no."
Aurelius: "What're you thinking, Jorule?"
Lin: "I noticed, yeah."
Jorule: "I'm not sure, it's just… kind of weird. I don't think I've ever heard a person claim mana doesn't exist before, either."
Lin: I'm not exactly wearing my headset in this outfit either so without a catalyst or mana I'm not sure we can even cast magic. "
Aurelius: "I think it's a subtle clue that fighting won't be solving this one."
Lin: "Aaaaaand it looks like he's set up his dream team. He's paying some big bucks to a set of mercenaries. I think… it might be the ones we met before."
Jorule: "I wouldn't say a dearth of mana implies that fightings not a solution… I know it's happened in them before, but… hm." Jorule scratches behind his head, then shrugs.
Aurelius: "Well, a lack of mana does make it -harder-, not impossible…"
Aurelius: "Anyway, we'll just have to be faster and stuff."
Aurelius: "Until then…" He reaches the umbrella, lays out a towel, and lies down on it, both hands behind his head.
Peter|GM: It's a nice beach.
Lin flips through the contract scanning for some names. Mercade, Luiz and Treo in particular.
Peter|GM: Oh, yeah, they're totally the three he's hired. Their ship's cleared for landing soon, too.
Lin: "I wonder if Mercade is going to compete in the Juggernaut."
Jorule shakes his head.
Aurelius: "Ehh that's not really 'in theme…'"
Aurelius: "Swimwear is far more appropriate."
Jorule glances around. nods.
Aurelius: "Until then, take a load off, take a swim…"
Peter|GM: It is at about this point that the LT arrives, dressed in matching polka-dotted swimwear and giant sunglasses, carrying a canvas bag at her side. She takes a seat under the umbrella, laying her towel out beside Aurelius'.
Aurelius: "The only flow that matters is the ocean's, not mana."
Lin: "Oh hey, you made it. Galaxy is a small place after all."
Aurelius: "The flicker of the ship's monitor doesn't do you justice."
Jorule: "That definitely isn't how flow works."
Peter|GM: She smiles, one of her ears flicking just a little. "I've got fast navigation. And thanks."
Jorule: "Anyway."
Aurelius: "Sit or run or something, Jorule, I'm getting weary just hearing you stand."
Jorule: "What's the plan here, though?"
Lin has for the most part been standing around as well. She lifts the pair of shades up slightly before clicking away on her mobile device.
Aurelius: "Wait until the mercs arrive, jaw jack with them back and forth for a bit-"
Lin: "We win, obviously."
Aurelius: "Throw out some silly contest ideas and then win 'em."
Lin: "Like sure they kicked our ass last time and we got a pity win."
Lin: "But this time is going to be different!"
Aurelius: "That is also why we cheat like crazy."
Jorule: "Thinks are so much lazier when I'm not in charge."
[OOC] Jorule: things^
Aurelius: "I'm not sure you 'get' vacations."
Aurelius: "Have you ever had one?"
Jorule pauses.
Jorule: "I almost had one once, but then the world collapsed."
Aurelius: "Excuses…"
Lin blinks. "Wait, what? When were you going to take a vacation?"
Jorule lookst at Lin from over the top of his sunglasses. "Your memory is atrocious."
Lin: "There was still a lot to do!"
Lin: "As for the competition I don't think we even need to cheat, we've got LT on our side!"
Jorule: "And yet, everyone left. And the LT just being here is probably cheating, honestly."
Peter|GM: The LT lifts up her shades. Her tail flicks. "Competition?"
Aurelius: "Ah, that's how we're saving the planet."
Aurelius: "We beat the CEO's cronies in non-combat stuff, put a pie in his face, he leaves, reprise the theme song and roll the credits."
Jorule: "He's mentioned the pie thing more than once, so this must be an important part of the process."
Aurelius: "Time is like a river, and history repeats."
Peter|GM: "Pre-tty much a given, honestly."
Aurelius: "(Now I'm just saying random things.)"
Aurelius: "But- you feel it too, don't you?"
Aurelius: "This slower pace, the even-for-us relaxed ripple."
Aurelius: "The mercs will get here when they get here."
Lin: "Vacations are -weird-."
Jorule: "Yeah, I don't get it either."
Lin: "Like, I'm all for playing beach games. But laying down on a towel and doing nothing all day? Boooooring."
Jorule: "You could go into the water."
Jorule: "I suppose."
Peter|GM: The LT looks up. "No, no, no. You need to know how this guy works."
Lin scratches at her cheek before nodding, tossing Jorule his shades and her mobile. "Going to go for a swim until they get here, then. Hold these and yell for me if it picks up another call."
Aurelius: "Who, Jorule?"
Peter|GM: "Yeah, exactly."
Peter|GM: "Jorule, you are hereby contracted, if you choose to accept, to bring me a photo of a cool fish or something from out in the water. Go swimming." She lightly hucks her camera at Jorule from the bag.
Aurelius: "…hm. Yeah. You have a point."
Jorule slides the sunglasses onto hsi forehead, wearing two pairs at once now. He tosses Lin's phone somewhere safely, as he takes the camera. "How cool are we talking, here?"
Peter|GM: "Brightly colored or especially sassy, or better."
Jorule salutes, turns and heads for the water. "Contracts totally come with payment of some kind!" He calls voer his shoulder, before diving in.
Peter|GM: "They totally do!"
Peter|GM: And the clarity of the water, the way the light sparkles through it - the shimmering rows of green weed, sundappled, the spray of surf and the scent of salt in the air -
Lin glances between Jorule and the others before chuckling to herself. She dives in after him.
Peter|GM: The LT kicks back, gets a book out, reads through it. Eventually, there's a little smalltalk pointed Artemis' way: "So, how's the ship treating you, anyway?"
Peter|GM: - Anyway, the water. Stretches of coral. A few kids floating about on inner tubes. An eleven-meter long eel.
Peter|GM: Fossilized children's toys, embedded in the rock.
Artemis: "The Pure of Heart? She handles like a dream, not a tempermental one that girl. She's a beaut." She nods to the LT and offers her a watermelon slice.
Jorule pauses. Picture. Continues the hunt for fish.
Lin: "You have to go deeper out for a good fish, you know."
Lin: "The cool ones don't stay around by the shore."
Peter|GM: She bites in. "Thanks. Where'd you buy your suit, by the way? I don't recognize the designer."
Jorule: "Man, I'm not going into a sea trench. We're settling for 'kind of cool, but not like, mind blowlingly awesome'."
Artemis‘ "I have some hidden skills. I made it."
Peter|GM: "That’s so? Somebody should get you some exposure."
Artemis‘ squints her eyes against the sun as she watched Jorule hunt some sassy fish.
Artemis` "It’s a sometimes hobby, not really something I'd want to do regularly."
Artemis: "But thanks." She gestured with her watermelon slice in a sort of, 'cheers' way, much like one would do with a glass of wine.
Peter|GM: Clownfish mingle with the anemones. Strange shapes are in the coral - a hand here, with hint of motion - the remnant of what looks like a neon sign there -
Peter|GM: She taps her rind against yours.
Peter|GM: "So Aurelius, is that… cosplay?"
Aurelius: "Eh?"
Peter|GM: "Like, all the…" She gestures fruitlesly.
Aurelius slyly grins. "I wouldn't know."
Lin: "We should have brought snorkeling equipment, honestly."
Aurelius: "You have to admit, even for cosplay, it's pretty simple."
Lin: "We can't go very deep to get a good picture without it. And if you needed to be reminded, yes we need to breathe still."
Jorule: "Pft, can hold my breath just fine. This is kind of weird though." A few more pictures.
Aurelius: "And it fits the scenery, so… 'hide in plain sight.'"
Aurelius: "Just having a little fun with the mission."
Aurelius: "Even though we do that all the time."
Jorule pauses.
Lin: "Did you hear something…?"
Lin: "It felt like a wall just came shattering down."
Jorule long, sideways glance to nothing in particular.
Pietto continues to feebly wave his coral-encrusted hand. Not that he's in danger or anything - it's hard to drown when you don't have lungs - but still. It's just boring, being trapped.
Lin: "You… said you're good at diving, right?"
Jorule: "… Oh, that really did happen."
Jorule: "I wasn't sure at first."
Jorule lets out a puff of air, sinks down through the water. Grabs the hand tugs up a bit. Stops before pulling it all the way out, aims the camera and takes another picture.
Lin: "I think you found the winning picture for catch of the day." She grins.
Jorule: "Well, it's not really a fish though."
Pietto comes on up and out of the coral, thanks to Jorule! While his wooden body's a bit more warped and gnarled than it used to be, he looks the same as always. "Ahhhh! Thought I was stranded down there. Crashed during a storm."
Lin: "How long have you been down there, anyways? Getting the water out of that wood is going to be a pain, Pietto."
Pietto: "Does it matter?"
Jorule: "You'd think a thing made up out of logs would be better at… floating."
Lin blinks before nodding. "It looks like he sank like a rock."
Pietto makes a downward motion. "Crashed, like I said. Not from the sea, but from th'sky."
Pietto: "… Just so y'know, wooden spaceships don't make for good re-entry."
Lin: "Going for a theme or did you just get conned again?"
Pietto: "… Neither?"
Artemis‘ squints, "Is… is that a puppet?"
Jorule shakes his head, resumes looking for cool and/or sassy fish.
Lin: "This galaxy has its fair share of ships, but one made out of wood is a bit much."
Pietto: "Well, I’m a carpenter. I work with what I know!"
Jorule: "In his defense someone was talking about sailing on plants the other week."
Aurelius: "Is what a puppet," asks Aurelius, not bothering to crane his torso or neck up.
Artemis‘ points out towards Pietto.
Lin: "So what’ve you been up to anyways? Asides from the whole stuck in the water thing."
Aurelius reluctantly looks up.
Aurelius: "(What in the world did they find,)" he mutters.
Pietto: "Just journeying. Taking some time off to reflect."
Pietto: "Was on vacation until the world collapsed!"
Lin: "That was kind of a bummer, yeah. Anyways staying afloat here is swell and all but we need to find a picture of a fish before our mercenary competition starts."
Pietto flexes. "I'm the best damn catch yer gonna get here."
Lin gives Pietto a sceptical look. "If you can convince LT that you're actually a fish I'll roll with it."
Jorule: "Some kind of flounder…?"
Aurelius: "That does, indeed, look like a puppet."
Aurelius: "But they're not pulling the strings."
Lin: "Actually, this sounds like it'll give me a good laugh. Let's do that." She starts to swim back to the shore.
Pietto tromps back to shore. "Sounds good. An' it's good to get outta the water, too."
Peter|GM: Pfah! The water cascades off you.
Jorule shakes his head. "No follow through." He snaps another picture of nearby fishes, before heading ashore.
Lin: "You should say hello to Hamaris at some point by the way. He's in one of those week long sleeps he does on our ship at the moment. Without Lily around it's impossible to wake him up until he wants to get up."
Pietto: "Maybe. Anyway. I'll jus' tag along. (Don't wanna, uh, interrupt.)"
Jorule: "Interrupt what?"
Lin: "Presumably only four of us can enter the competition against the three mercenaries and the CEO."
Lin: "Which already meant LT was going to watch."
Pietto: "Yeah! I'll cheer ya."
Jorule: "Anyway."
Peter|GM: The LT smiles at Lin. "I'll be seeing something good from you, right?"
Lin gives a cheeky smile back. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jorule: "Wooden puppet, metal puppet (robot), foxgirlthing, ratlady." Joruole gestures vaguely to everyone in introduction.
Lin: "I can be a bit of a dunce sometimes but I still get the job done!"
Peter|GM: "E-xactly what I said."
Peter|GM: In the distance, another ship comes down into the space-port.
Peter|GM: But I mean, we'll talk more about that next week. Probably when Teak and Julian are about maybe.
Peter|GM: You know.

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