Cranberry Soda 9

[21:21:11] <`GM> [The stranger, Shrew, steps into the house, though she remains just inside the door, as several of the girls are still standing right in front of her.  Her expression remains as bored as before.]
[21:23:19] <`GM> [Jenna sinks farther into her lounge chair, burying her face in her hands and trying to breathe out the stress.]
[21:23:25] <Agamedes> The young little girl would immediately hug the stranger greeting her cheerfully. "Wow you're that one person I forgot the name to! Like.. awesome stuff. Totally... riiight."
[21:25:21] <`GM> [Shrew looks down at the short girl.]
[21:25:48] <Agamedes> "Hai."
[21:27:11] <`GM> [The woman stares vacantly at Medes, trying to determine if it's all just an act or if she really is this childish.  It's rather disconcerting.]
[21:27:31] * Meredith also looks over at Shrew. "It's good to meet you." Her expression behind her sunglasses is impenetrable.
[21:30:15] <Agamedes> "Ohh... you're not the fun kind.. r-right.. I'll stay good then." The girl would slink off and sit down at the nearby sofa. "I'll be a good girl."
[21:32:22] <`GM> [Shrew turns her attention to Meredith, still nonplussed.]
[21:33:49] <`GM> Shrew:  "You don't even remember who I am.  Is it really?"
[21:37:34] <`GM> [Shrew stares at the feet of Meredith, waiting for her to move so she can move away from the door.  She subconsciously readjusts the straps on her handbag.]
[21:39:12] <Karan> Karan regards the stranger cooly, still not entirely convinced of her good intentions.
[21:39:13] * Meredith heads to the kitchen to make tea.
[21:41:00] * Karan 's blades still reside in places about the room, some hidden, some not.
[21:41:00] <Agamedes> "So what brings the shrewd nonsensicalies miss maid of the day here today?"
[21:41:11] <`GM> [Shrew slips off her shoes and enters the house, noticing the less-than-filthy carpets on the floor]
[21:42:18] <`GM> Shrew:  "The same thing that brought the five of you here.  Obviously."
[21:42:47] <`GM> [She pads into the living room, assessing the moods of Karan and Jenna.]
[21:43:18] <Agamedes> "Getting flung out of a moving vehicle, breaking severaaalllll bones and nearly dying, getting shot at or something like that?"
[21:44:19] <Karan> Noticing Shrew's observations Karan stands a bit taller, though the further height advantage is hardly necessary.
[21:44:24] <Karan> "Is that so?"
[21:44:47] <`GM> Shrew:  "Learn to think deeper, kids."
[21:45:46] <Agamedes> "Uhm.. ummmm! Oh! Politically stuff, really complicated and what not! Right!?"
[21:45:52] <`GM> [Shrew walks over in front of Jenna, staring yet again.  As Jenna continues to have her head down, the effect is rather diminished.]
[21:49:03] <`GM> Shrew:  "How about I save you some time and just tell you.  Of course YOU already know, Sis, otherwise you'd be looking at me."
[21:49:28] <Karan> "I was about to say," Karan remarks.
[21:50:31] <`GM> [Shrew suddenly punches Jenna hard in the gut, then backs off.  The older woman reels back in her chair, gasping painfully.]
[21:51:04] <`GM> Jenna:  "Ghhnck, whuuuUUUUhhh?!?"
[21:51:44] <`GM> Shrew:  "Because you  fucked up."
[21:55:36] <Agamedes> "Ooohh!~ Punishment time!" The girl would get a length of chain ready in case it would get deadly.
[21:57:05] <Karan> The tall bodyguard acts as fast as she can, decking Shrew across the face followed by a kick to the ribs, attempting to send her to the floor while steel "feathers" float to encircle her!
[21:57:41] <Karan> "You will  not  hurt Sis further!"
[21:59:18] <`GM> [Shrew gets caught by the blow to the face but manages to divert the worst of the kick to the ribs.  She remains on her feet and grips her handbag, definitely ready for combat but definitely in a defensive stance.]
[22:00:10] <`GM> Shrew:  "Tell HER that.  I'm not the one who got her stabbed."
[22:00:46] * Meredith comes out, sets the tray of tea next to Big Sis, and then says, "Would someone care to explain what's going on  before  we start a massive brawl?"
[22:02:47] <`GM> [Jenna is wheezing, still trying to catch her breath.]
[22:03:01] <Karan> "That would be good," Karan growls, staring at the newcomer.
[22:03:25] <Agamedes> "So, justifying Oneesan's falcon pauuunnnchhhh aside, I wanna hear what she did so wrong too before slapping her some more. Pleaseeeee~?"
[22:03:41] <Karan> Barely a moment later, she adds: "Would one of you please help Big Sis?"
[22:03:45] <`GM> Jenna:  "You...  Dammit...  My back..."
[22:04:03] * Meredith helps her up.
[22:05:26] <`GM> [Shrew keeps her eyes focused on Karan, while addressing Medes.]
[22:06:17] <`GM> Shrew:  "Our Big Sis went and flipped the damn grim trigger, is what she did so wrong."
[22:06:54] <Agamedes> "Grim Tigger? I was not aware the tiger from winnie the poophead took such a hardboiled turn.."
[22:07:18] <`GM> Shrew:  "DAMN IT, Sis, what the hell does Maids STAND for?!"
[22:08:04] <`GM> [Jenna glares at Shrew through askew glasses.]
[22:08:28] <`GM> Jenna:  "They...  atacked,  me."
[22:08:51] <`GM> Jenna:  "We, reacted."
[22:09:38] <`GM> [Jenna holds a shaking hand out, beckoning for some tea.]
[22:09:57] * Meredith pours her a glass.
[22:10:42] <Agamedes> "You mean those guys from the hotel? Yeah they atacked us first, no fun getting skewered by hot lead yknow."
[22:12:39] <Karan> "And yet again, we seem to be under attack for no reason. Unless you're finally willing to stop dancing around it?"
[22:12:38] <`GM> [Shrew is unenthused, and jabs a finger at Medes.]
[22:15:44] <`GM> Shrew:  "No, YOU attacked first.  You were at the damn hotel, AS a Maid, poking your fucking noses into the business of OTHER Maids!"
[22:16:53] <`GM> Shrew:  "Mutual, Anti, Interference, Defense, SYSTEM!"
[22:17:17] <Agamedes> "Still short of stealing them, it doesn't warrant getting stabbed at or shot. Thrown out maybe, roughend up a little but.. not like thatttt. Bulllleettt heellll"
[22:17:21] <`GM> [Shrew is shouting up a storm but still seems to be making no further moves towards anyone.]
[22:17:54] * Meredith pours another glass and sets it next to Shrew.
[22:18:19] <Karan> "If you're saying talking alone is reason to kill, then I'm surprised you've come here."
[22:18:53] * Karan 's martial stance doesn't waver.
[22:19:03] <`GM> [For the first time, Shrew smirks, and points defiantly at Tyro.]
[22:19:46] <`GM> "They don't own me.  But they own HER.  You HAD to have known, Sister."
[22:22:00] <`GM> [Jenna continues glaring at Shrew, still not bother to fix her glasses.]
[22:23:50] <`GM> Jenna:  "I don't need to know about whoever 'They' are to know I'm damned no matter what I do.  Might as well keep one of your sisters away from Putin while I can."
[22:25:19] <Agamedes> "Uncle Joseph says hiiiii, brought me a long dressss."
[22:27:54] <`GM> Shrew:  "...So you don't know who they are.  Fucking christ, Jenna."
[22:29:21] <`GM> [Shrew finds the nearest chair and sits down, disgusted.]
[22:33:08] <Karan> Karan strides towards Shrew, staring daggers, while filling the space around her with the same.
[22:33:43] <Karan> "You know, you could just spill it already and save us the suspense."
[22:34:05] <Agamedes> "Cliches!~ Cliches! That's 3 sins there!~"
[22:35:42] <`GM> [Shrew glances up at Karan and huffs.  She is clearly not intimidated.]
[22:37:49] <`GM> Shrew:  "Only because you asked."
[22:38:57] <Agamedes> "4 Sins!"
[22:40:13] <`GM> [Shrew, lightning-fast, flings a tube of lipstick from her handbag at Agamedes.]
[22:41:57] <`GM> Shrew:  "Either make sense or shut up, Slattern; the adults are TALKING."
[22:55:57] <Agamedes> The girl smiles wide as she adjusts her face just enough so that it would zip past her. The moment she dodged, she would use one of the smaller chains to remove the top of the lipstick to gloss her lips a nice shade of red before letting the make up smash against the wall. "Yay! Lip jobs!~"
[22:57:03] <`GM> [Shrew rolls her eyes.  Showoff.  She returns her focus to Karan.]
[22:57:38] <Agamedes> "5 sins!~"
[22:59:07] <`GM> Shrew:  "Mutual Anti-Interference Defense System, Siren.  We had it hammered into our heads:  Don't, butt, heads."
[23:00:03] <Agamedes> "Head to butt, rimjobs!~"
[23:00:22] <`GM> Shrew:  "Bodyguards, not soldiers.  Insurance, not weapons."
[23:01:22] <Meredith> "Medes, please be quiet. You're putting her on edge."
[23:02:04] <Agamedes> "Sitting on the edge and you'll eventually fall over~"
[23:04:43] <Karan> As usual, Karan ignores the brat.
[23:05:13] <`GM> Shrew:  "It doesn't fucking matter anymore that you didn't attack first, that you only came to talk, blah blah blah whatever.  The point is what it looks like on the outside, and it LOOKS like is someone just used their Maids to obtain someone else's Maids, and succeeded."
[23:06:15] <Karan> Karan merely frowns, her weapons receding.
[23:06:24] <`GM> Shrew:  "Every damn body has been on THEIR edge of the seat waiting for someone to fuck up and break the system so they'll have a precedent to do the same.  And you just GAVE them one."
[23:08:41] <`GM> Shrew:  "And now it's MY ass on the line too.  I might be buried so deep even Big Sis couldn't find me, but SOMEONE always knows where you are."
[23:12:27] <Karan> Karan throws a quick glance back to Jenna for guidance, though careful to not let her guard down. No wisecrack exists for this.
[23:14:02] <Agamedes> "Dat ass too phat, back it uuuupp. Woop woop."
[23:15:03] <`GM> [Jenna glances at Medes, shrugs, glances at Karan, shrugs slightly more sincerely and a lot more wearily.]
[23:16:09] <`GM> Jenna:  "So you want protection.  Four Maids and the Big Sister."
[23:17:02] <`GM> [Shrew shows Jenna the middle finger.]
[23:18:19] <`GM> Shrew:  "Fuck your protection.  You've got four?  There's a coalition of 'employers' going on that have at least fifteen all together.  If they want you, they WILL take you.  But I wager they'll clear out the singles first."
[23:18:36] <Agamedes> "ooohh! Lesbians! Did you know that they legalized gay marriages today~?" Medes grinned and nodded to herself.
[23:19:51] <`GM> [Now Jenna is the one to look at Karan for assurance.]
[23:20:10] <Karan> Karan steps back for thought.
[23:20:51] <Karan> "... This is bad, but..."
[23:21:09] <Karan> "If they're not alone when they're attacked, maybe neutrality can hold out longer?"
[23:23:17] <`GM> [Jenna stands up, her head still sagging down, as her glasses finally jostle themselves off her face.]
[23:23:42] <Agamedes> "Shit's hit the fan now!~"
[23:27:11] <`GM> Jenna:  "When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die...  If you don't play they'll kill you anyways."
[23:27:37] <Karan> Seeing her glasses drop, Karan turns and gracefully sweeps them off the ground, ending next to her with a hand on her shoulder. With the other, she offers them.
[23:27:39] <Karan> "Here."
[23:27:44] <`GM> Jenna:  "God how long ago were those books...  High school?"
[23:28:06] <Agamedes> "War Games! The only way to win is to not play!"
[23:28:37] <`GM> [Jenna weakly takes the glasses back.]
[23:28:56] <`GM> Jenna:  "Thanks...  Kara."
[23:32:46] <Meredith> "So the only way to survive is to win now?"
[23:33:24] <`GM> [Shrew blurts out a mirthless laugh.]
[23:33:37] <Karan> Karan lightly squeezes her shoulder and smiles in return, hovering a moment longer before returning to face the bringer of bad news.
[23:34:18] <`GM> Shrew:  "Pwah!  Say all the pretty little catchphrases you want.  I'm sure the kid'll be really happy about them."
[23:35:13] <`GM> [Shrew turns to Meredith, and amazingly drops her sullen, sour expression.]
[23:36:06] <`GM> Shrew:  "Termagant, the only way to survive is to LIVE."
[23:37:45] <`GM> Shrew:  "And hey...  Seriously, now.  Since you got out into the real world...  How much living have you done?"
[23:39:29] <Agamedes> "Alot actually, like travelling! Lots of it. Maybe, less travelling actually... so tired sometimes." The young girl yawns ever so slightly. "Whoop.s"
[23:40:29] <`GM> [Shrew turns over to Karan.]
[23:40:30] <Karan> "Life is good," Karan affirms.
[23:40:46] <Karan> "... Though it has taken a turn for the worse with this..."
[23:41:00] <`GM> Shrew:  "YOUR life, or hers?"
[23:41:15] <`GM> [Shrew thumbs at Jenna.]
[23:41:26] <Karan> "Both."
[23:41:33] <Karan> She answers with no detectable hesitation.
[23:42:21] <Meredith> "Whatever happens, I'll go with the flow." she replies, and pushes up her sunglasses a bit.
[23:43:09] <`GM> [Shrew shoots up and kicks her chair behind her.]
[23:43:25] <`GM> Shrew:  "NO.  Damn it, you will NOT."
[23:43:42] <`GM> [She pans around at all the girls as she continues.]
[23:44:34] <`GM> Shrew:  "Going with the flow gets you HERE.  You'll flow right into a grave at this rate, or worse."
[23:46:21] <`GM> Shrew:  "You want to survive?  Stop doing every damn thing she says.  Grow a fucking spine, since apparently they removed them when you graduated."
[23:48:00] <Meredith> "Look. I don't do what she says. I don't do what she wants. I do what she needs, before she even realizes she needs it."
[23:49:30] <`GM> Shrew:  "Well she needs to have her ass broken and her high horse shot, right about now."
[23:49:58] <`GM> Shrew:  "Or should I punch her again?"
[23:50:06] <Karan> Karan silently positions herself between Jenna and the aggressor yet again.
[23:50:11] <Karan> "You won't get the chance."
[23:50:56] <`GM> [Shrew smirks devilishly]
[23:51:11] <Agamedes> ""Ordering chinese, anyone want anything? No? Okay, pork fried rice for everyone. Ramadan!~ Ackbars~"
[23:51:25] <`GM> Shrew:  "If Sis didn't think she deserved to get smacked I wouldn't have gotten the FIRST chance."
[23:51:24] <Meredith> "See, that's really not how to get people to change, to follow you. You don't barge in spitting fire, like you're some kind of drill sergeant and we're all the greenest privates outside of an Orion slave girl."
[23:52:09] <Meredith> "It's an ongoing process."
[23:52:52] <Karan> "Regardless, I won't let you past again."
[23:54:08] <`GM> [Shrew sizes up her options.  One, two, three people who aren't listening to her.  Fine.  Fire with fire.]
[23:54:09] <Agamedes> The young girl would place the order before going into the kitchen to grab somethign to drink. "Mmm~ Cheery Cook."
[23:55:22] <Meredith> "Now if you have constructive suggestions, I'd like to hear them."
[23:57:59] <`GM> [Shrew hikes her handbag back onto her shoulder and turns away from them, walking to the door instead.]
[23:58:20] <`GM> Shrew:  "No you wouldn't."
[23:59:06] * Meredith sits back and sighs.
[23:59:56] <Karan> Karan takes a deep breath, glad to see the irritant on its way out.
[00:01:23] <Meredith> "For what it's worth, I wish you well."
[00:02:49] <`GM> [Shrew stomps her shoes back onto her feet and opens the door.]
[00:04:25] <`GM> Shrew:  "For what it's worth, I found you first."
[00:04:56] <Agamedes> "Waiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttttttttttttt! Stay for chinese fooood! I called for deliveriesss!"
[00:05:17] <`GM> [Shrew just stares at her.]
[00:06:11] <Agamedes> The girl would just stare right back at her. Smiling of course.
[00:06:17] <`GM> [Shrew then crouches down a little so that they're at even eye level.]
[00:06:49] <`GM> Shrew:  "Little girl~?  Did you know that this is how you get people killed~?"
[00:07:23] <`GM> Shrew:  "Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to be so selfish, thinking about what's best for you~?"
[00:08:15] * Meredith whispers to Big Sis, ""As soon as Shrew is out of sight range, we're leaving."
[00:08:47] <Agamedes> "Oh you mean that man with a gun walking up to us now?" She would point to behind her torwards the door.
[00:10:25] <`GM> [Jenna nods wordlessly to Merry, all wind taken out of her sails.]
[00:10:34] <Karan> Karan just watches her go, always careful of an ambush.
[00:11:34] <`GM> [Shrew leaves without incident, getting into an old truck and driving down the country road, out of sight.  A rather awkward encounter.]
[00:11:41] <Meredith> "At some point, Agamedes will shed the disguise and reveal herself to be one of the most brilliant minds in the world, and I will be so astounded that it'll wrap around and look like a complete lack of surprise."
[00:14:32] * Meredith watches through the bunny as Shrew leaves, then paces the outside with it to make sure there are no other surprise visitors.
[00:18:09] <`GM> [Jenna, despite knowing that they've well overstayed their welcome, sits back down.  Just what was the point of all that...?]
[00:18:21] <Karan> Karan sits next to her.
[00:18:34] <Karan> "... Anything I can get you?"
[00:19:47] <`GM> Jenna:  "...The last 23 years of my life back."
[00:22:06] * Meredith heads to their room to start packing.
[00:22:37] <`GM> [Jenna finds herself to be sweating rather profusely.  Even IF she had those 23 years back...?]
[00:23:38] <Agamedes> As everyone returned to back to thier thing, a knock on the door would be heared inside the room. Medes would quickly reach out to answer it. "Yesssss?~"
[00:24:21] <`GM> Jenna:  "Karan...  DO you have a life...?"
[00:25:34] <Karan> She looks down, her idol's eroded faith no longer enough to maintain her confidence on its own.
[00:26:08] <Karan> "... I think I do."
[00:26:56] <Karan> Mustering courage, Karan looks back at Jenna.
[00:29:16] <Agamedes> She'd pay the fellow before brining back in several bags of white containers with wonderful scent of cheap chinese food wafting from them. "Foooooooooddddddd!"
[00:29:40] <`GM> [Jenna has taken to looking into her cup of tea instead, nodding without really knowing why.]
[00:32:27] <`GM> Jenna:  "Oh, thanks Medes."
[00:32:50] <`GM> [Jenna's voice really has no life to it as she thanks Medes.]
[00:37:23] <Agamedes> The girl would effortlessly hand over a containers worth of food to Jenna before hopping back into the living room and munching on her share. She would place the rest all over the place for the others to get if they are hungry.
[00:39:45] <Karan> Unable to manifest a hug for her, Karan sets about the second best solace she can think of: research. She quickly finds the nearest computer and begins searching the net for any information on other MAIDS, where they are, and what situation they might soon find themselves in.
[00:50:40] <`GM> [Her search is quite the stab in the dark considering they're in something of a rush to leave the house, and the underground nature of Maids.  She does discover that the Russian delegation that Tyro was a part of ended up leaving anyways despite the shootout, though it left a few days later.]
[00:51:06] * Meredith finds her peace in work. Getting everyone's stuff packed away, prepping the car for when they need to leave, and so on.
[00:51:58] <Agamedes> "So why are we leaving again?"
[00:53:47] <`GM> [Jenna sighs.  She doesn't want to talk about it, but it's better than NOT talking about it, right now...]
[00:54:50] <`GM> Jenna:  "If Shrew could find us, anyone with Maids could find us too.  And apparently I pushed the dominoes over, so any day one's going to fall on us."
[00:56:31] <`GM> Jenna:  "Or...  no, that's not...  something like that, anyways..."
[00:58:57] <Agamedes> "Its because I ordered chinese wasn't it!? Oh god whyyyy"
[01:00:51] <`GM> [Jenna pats Medes' head mechanically.]
[01:01:15] <`GM> Jenna:  "It's not because you ordered Chinese~"
[01:02:46] <Agamedes> "Mmm.. booooo.. fine fine... should I start packing too?" She would look up at her older sister wondering why she'd get her head patted.
[01:03:28] <Karan> A small smile forms on Karan's face. Times ahead might be tough, but at least not entirely humorless.