#Flarp2 - Session 56

<Jaspersprite> *** http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=ru5IeHklzcU&feature=relmfu
<Jaspersprite> *** The twilight and rolling rapids are replaced with darkness and cobble as the party memebers, slowly but surely, begin to wake on the stone floor. The last sound they may remember hearing was perhaps a lone gunshot, or maybe the barking of the ever faithful Bonecrusher. With the helpful luminesence from Kanaya, the shadowy corridor becomes much more detail
<Jaspersprite> ed-- the basement of some sort, unmistakably, with a wall of metal bars separating them from what you could only make out to be a stairwell. The dust in the air and faint scittering of a mouse only reinforces the ever present fact that this is /not/ the kind of place you want to be.
<-> chthonianGunslinger is now known as alaroraAxuilafiend
<PurpleKoopa> Roxy doggedly comes to her senses, pushing herself off the cold dungeon floor. She rubs against her aching forehead, wishing she had an aspirin or something. Why did it seem that she was always waking up in someplace or another lately?
<PurpleKoopa> "blurgh"
<PurpleKoopa> "guys wtf were we doing again"
<PurpleKoopa> "i mean id tote understand if it was another nite of partytimes all up in the van but uh"
-*- Nitro Said ever faithful Bonecrusher shakes off the lingering unconsciousness and blinks rapidly, standing up to take in the room. He sniffs at and nudges the bars, whining anxiously. The last time he was in a cage was...less than pleasant. His humans seem uninjured, though!
<PurpleKoopa> "this obv aint it"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend In his dreams, he had managed to make that shot. He saved them in the nick of time and they all went on their merry way, following the airy breeze back home. They would drop that whiny sack of crap back in her sadass town and, for once in their life, they'd all sit down and try to think up some kind of plan.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It might as well been the nicest dream he had since he got to this hellhole.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Well.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Almost the nicest.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But it came awfully close.
<Jaspersprite> *** The bars are nudged. Unfortunately, they don't seem quite loose enough to just push out. In fact, despite their less-than-new looks, they seem pretty sturdy! Shame!
<PurpleKoopa> Roxy walks over to the bars, spurred by Halley's whining. Oh, a staircase! "hey it looks like u found our ticket outta this joint! way 2 go sleuth dogg"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But the bubble had to pop sometime, the dream vanishing into thin air and nothing more, and when it did, it popped hard.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Hard and achingly.
<PurpleKoopa> "gonna need to get all paper mario style to squeak thru there tho"
<PurpleKoopa> She looks around for any other exits. What else is in here?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Instead, he found himself drowsily waking up to an aching headache and a veil of darkness. Only the soft illumination of Kanaya's light could give him even remotely a clue as to what happened.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But he didn't need a clue.
-*- Nitro This only makes the dog whine further, turning to sniff around at the ground (and nudging the still-unconscious juggalo), as though checking for anything of use. The place /seems/ pretty empty, but...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He already knew what happened.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend They were fucked.
<Nitro> [Be riiiight back --]
<Jaspersprite> *** Past the bars, you can see the other side of the room more or less clearly. An old timey boiler sits in the farther corner, but aside from that, there's not much else there aside from the creaky stairwell. The cell, upon closer examination, only has one exit-- an equally sturdy metal door, closed tight with a padlock. In the cell, there's a SALAMANDER SKU
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He knew this even in his drowsy haze, feeling the sheer failure aching in his bones, and it forced the haze away in an explosion of terror.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend gUYS
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend GUYS
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend I'M NOT EVEN DONE WITH THIS OVERLY LONG INTRO
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend aND I STILL HAVE ANOTHER ONE TO GO
<Jaspersprite> LL and a ROCK. The SALAMANDER SKULL is probably only to scare anybody in here. Poor Urich. You knew him, Horatio.
-*- Jaspersprite Fffff I know I know but people are looking @ things]]
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend With a pained whimper-- or perhaps a growl-- he clawed at his hair and slammed his bandaged fist into the ground.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "i knew it! i fuckin knew it!"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "we shouldve--"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "we shouldve never even looked at that old fuckin hag"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "i--"
<ZeeZee> (Sorry, was getting tangerines and some water, what's going on?)
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend This was his fault. All his fault. None of these idiots knew about the dangers of the bogeymen. They didn't have the slightest clue. But he knew. He knew so much better than this.
<Jaspersprite> [[Scroll up, Zee uvu]]
<ZeeZee> (... Are we in jail? :I)
-*- PurpleKoopa they're stuck in a dungeon. scroll up, bro]]
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend And look where he was now. Where they all were now.
<ZeeZee> (NERO WHAT DID YOU DO?)
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "i knew it. . ."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It was all his cracked and defeated voice could manage to whisper.
-*- ZeeZee rolling over Sollux winced. Someone was talking, loudly... "what'2 wiith the yellii-" Before he could finish his sentence the troll took in their current surroundings and frowned. "what the flyiing fuck..."
<Jaspersprite> *** "You know,"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (actually)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (he's)
<Jaspersprite> *** "If we left that little bastard on the side of the road,"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (whimpering very quietly)
<Jaspersprite> *** "This never would have happened."
<ZeeZee> (...Well Sollux is very sensitive. *Shot*)
-*- Nitro Halley glances at the Weird Boy and is wholly ready to give him a warning growl, out of impulse -- but then he realizes that this is not the best situation for that. Still...it would be much worse if the Boy lost it. So he gives the child a /look/ and then -- oh?
<Jaspersprite> *** Lilly's managed to stir to life as well! I bet you forgot all about her, didn't you. She's sitting on the floor for the moment, back against the stone wall, arms folded on her knees. "But /nooo/. We had to give her our supplies after she /admitted/ to trying to steal them in the first place."
-*- Nitro Oh, is that -- that one guy who smelled kind of vaguely sweet, like a honeycomb.
<Nitro> [casually assumes Sollux got teleported with everyone else]
<Nitro> [or like]
<ZeeZee> (... I was assuming that.)
<Nitro> [is there because he was in the back of the van or something Idk]
<Nitro> [ok good uwu]
<Jaspersprite> *** "So she could help us and ~*change her ways*~." She actually bothers to hand gesture the asterisks and tildes.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Kanaya had jolted to a start, awoken by whimpers and memories of gunshots long gone by. It was the last thing she heard when she had fallen and the first thing she remembered before waking up. It was symbolic, in an awful sort of way. The climax to what was a mounting disaster.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Everything had been falling apart before that one lone shot. Gradually at first, slowly and subtly-- so subtly that she hadn't even noticed, in fact-- and then suddenly snowballing into a crisis of epic porportions.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She had tried so very, very hard to prevent it. She just wanted directions to Ardor. That was all. It was so simple. A wriggler could do it.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend And yet.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She couldn't do it. She couldn't even meet halfway.
<Jaspersprite> *** Laughs At You
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend So, yes, you could say she woke up in particularly low spirits.
-*- tophatTimelady wow ruderrator
<PurpleKoopa> Roxy finishes her cursory room analysis. Conclusion: Yup. This is a dungeon alright. Roxy giggles at the silly way the shopkeeper does the little wavey tildey thing. "lol nice hand gestures thats even better than finger quotes"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The sudden change of scenery hadn't helped much either. This certainly was the forest and she had...doubts that this was anywhere close to Ardor.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend So when she sat herself up, glancing at the gallery of sullen comrades around her, she had only one to say.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "This."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "This Is Quite Problematic"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "Isnt It"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend sOB.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She's going to take that as a yes.
-*- Nitro Nero no that's not keeping your emotions under control
<PurpleKoopa> Roxy bites her lip and nods. "yeah id say wed got ourselves a wee bit of a problem here"
-*- Nitro Being extremely emotional will make this worse
-*- Nitro bE BRAVE BOY CHILD
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But it's--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It's all his fault. . .
<ZeeZee> ... ii2 everyone actually here wiith u2?
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (can we)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (just assume that they are)
<ZeeZee> (Yes, but he's still gonna ask because dark.)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "It Appears So Sollux"
<ZeeZee> (Kanaya glow is not the end all to darkness I'm afraid.)
<Jaspersprite> *** The giggle is hardly returned. Only a sarcastic little 'hah' is her response, at first. "Can you find a way out of here or... something? This isn't where I plan on spending the night, and the sooner we get out of here the sooner we get to Ardor and..."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Though I Cant Say That Helps Us Much In This"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Thorny"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Situation"
-*- Nitro Thorny.
-*- Nitro Is /that/ what they're calling potentially life-threatening situations these days.
-*- PurpleKoopa you know what has thorns
-*- PurpleKoopa rrrrrrroses
<ZeeZee> ... can't aiin2ley do that butterfly thiingy and get the key2 or 2omethiing?
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Personally I Am Open To Ideas As Im Afraid I Dont Have Many Of My Own"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "And By Many"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Mean None"
<Jaspersprite> *** Every rose has it's thorn.
-*- ZeeZee Ainsley maybe could do that. Maybe.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "dont you gET IT?"
<ZeeZee> ... apparently not 2o why don't you 2pell iit out for me?
<Jaspersprite> *** Eeeevery cowboy. Sings a sad, sad song.
-*- ZeeZee good thing I'm not a cowboy.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "this aint no fuckin fancy detour through thnice an happy woods"
-*- Nitro /Grrr/.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "this is the end of thgoddamn line"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "we stay in here"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "we die"
<ZeeZee> ...
-*- Nitro And then it turns out the lady just wants entertainment and her plan works and the party slowly starts offing each other
-*- Nitro Just
-*- Nitro Losing it
<ZeeZee> thank2 for that great pep talk.
<Jaspersprite> *** "Would you /please/ just *quit* your melodramatic shit for a second? We'll be fine."
<Jaspersprite> *** "/Fine/."
-*- Nitro Halley growls at the Boy harshly, already anxious and finding his tone way too harsh. Cool it, kid.
-*- Nitro Thank you, strange mysterious lady.
-*- Nitro Whom he still isn't really familiar with.
-*- ZeeZee will get up and pet Halley, no use in getting the dog upset.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Idiots. Total idiots. Didn't even know how much trouble they were really in. They had walked right into a death trap and they didn't even know it. He could've stopped this. Could've tried to save them. Could've done something. Anything.
-*- Nitro Oh thank you
-*- ZeeZee yup.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But no, of course he couldn't. Of course it would end up like this.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Sniffle.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He's said his piece. He's done here. He's just going to curl up his knees and back away into the corner. No use in trying now. He already sealed their fate.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend . . .
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Well I"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Uh"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...I Think Thats A Fantastic Idea Sollux"
-*- ZeeZee sitting with their back against a wall of the cell Ainsley watched the others calmly. Slowly they stood up and walked over to stand before the bars. "So. We are fated to die?" They looked back to the group. "Despite all of our abilities and weapons there's no choice but to waste away..."
<Jaspersprite> *** "... He's always like this, isn't he." She's not really asking anybody in particular, just. Stating it. With a shove to the ground, she stands at her common height and stretches, arms crossed over her chest. "Butterfly thing?"
<Jaspersprite> *** "Is that any more useful in context than it sounds, because."
-*- ZeeZee looking back to the bars Ainsley spoke. "The butterfly effect. It is the ability of my species that allows my form to dissipate into that of butterflies."
<Nitro> [tHE BUTTERFLY EFFECT]
<ZeeZee> (YEP)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "And All Things Considered Its Probably Our Best Chance Of Escaping This Establishment"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "If Its Not Too Much Trouble That Is"
<ZeeZee> Not at all.
<Jaspersprite> [[Laughs @ butterfly effect]]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Splendid"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...Wait"
<ZeeZee> Yes?
<Jaspersprite> *** "Alright, well... come on. If we hurry, maybe the van won't be /entirely/ stripped by the time we get there."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Before You Go"
-*- ZeeZee glances back to Kanaya.
<PurpleKoopa> Meanwhile, Roxy has wandered away from the group, or at least as far as this cell can allow her. She's still got some more sleuthing to do. The intrepid dungeoneer starts out her escape quest by picking up the spooky salamander skull. It's... progress. Definitely.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The candle that Robert had so kindly given her had already been pulled out, carefully handled and examined. It wouldn't be much, but it would be better than total darkness. Now, if only she could light it...
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...One Of You Wouldnt Happen To Have An Incidenary Spell Of Sorts On Hand Would You"
<ZeeZee> ii gue22 ii do... techniically.
<ZeeZee> why?
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Do You Think It Could Possibly Light This Candle"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "We Could Slip It Through The Bars And Give Ainsley A Source Of Illumination"
<ZeeZee> oh... no iit'2 not that kiind of 2pell...
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Wouldnt Want Her To Be Exploring In--"
<Jaspersprite> *** The spooky SALAMANDER SKULL is procured. Well. It's certainly spooky! As it's inspected, her INTELLIGENCE STAT allows her to notice something inside the skull's eye! A HAIR PIN-- bent and hastily hidden away. The salamander probably doesn't need it now, though it's doubtable that they ever did in the first place.
<ZeeZee> ii gue22 ii could try iit
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...Curses"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Still It Cant Hurt To Try"
-*- Nitro rOXY YOU GENIUS
-*- ZeeZee CHECK THE ROCK NEXT!!
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She offers the candle to Sollux, giving more than a cursory glance at Nero while she did.
<Jaspersprite> *** HIDDEN UNDERNEATH THE ROCK IS A SET OF KEYS AND 1000 BOONDOLLARS--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He's seen better days.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Much better days.
<Jaspersprite> *** Hahah, /no/. It's the INTELLIGENCE stat she's utilized, not the LUCK stat.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend In fact, you think he might be quietly hyperventialing underneath that deadly silence.
-*- ZeeZee concentrating on the candle in his hand Sollux bit down on his lower lip, attempting to cast heatwave upon the wick and light it.
-*- Nitro Halley peers at the Weird Boy also.
<Jaspersprite> *** FWOOSH.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Sucess!
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Teamwork was such a beautiful thing.
<ZeeZee> oh wow! 2weet okay aiin2ley do your 2tuff.
<Jaspersprite> *** Maybe the flame is a little bigger and flamboyant than anticipated, but it certainly got the job done. The flame flickers on the candle's wick.
-*- Nitro Weird Boy who is curled up and upset and crying and damn it he looks incredibly human right then. Master is usually more the sort to power through his problems, but sometimes...just sometimes...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Amazingly, it was just enough to make her smile again.
-*- Nitro The dog is unconcerned with the light source, as he can see pretty decently anyway, and instead concerns himself with nudging the Boy's bandaged arm, experimentally, and reluctant to do more than that.
-*- ZeeZee giving a nod Aisnley proceeded to explode into a flurry of poorly lit color, thousands of butterflies filling the cell before attempting to flutter between the bars and collect to form Ainsley on the other side.
-*- Nitro Boy you are making life difficult and sad right now. Please.
-*- PurpleKoopa Roxy plucks the pin out of the socket and sticks it in her 'do, trying to keep her little swirl of hair in place. Hahaha, yes. Hair pin OBTAINED. Truly. she is the smartest sleuth of them all. Right behind Janey and that problem guy.
-*- PurpleKoopa She continues her thorough investigation by checking underneath the rock. What possible treasures could be hidden beneath?
<Jaspersprite> *** Ainsley succeeds! With a flourish, the alien butterbro now stands just outside the jail cell, the dreary room illuminated soley by the wax candle. Roxy obtains a HAIR PIN along with the SALAMANDER SKULL, before curiously inspecting what may lay underneath the rock.
-*- ZeeZee giving the candle off to Ainsley, Sollux stepped back to watch the alien at their work.
<Jaspersprite> *** More or less unsurprisingly, no treasures are hidden underneath the stone. Drat! Darn! Shucks buster!
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Surprisingly, there was no shoving or whining on Nero's part. Instead he slowly, shakingly, reached out to curl his arm around the dog's fuzzy form. His touch was surprisingly gentle, as if he suspected that even the slightest bit of force would break the dog.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend And, honestly, he didn't care what that mutt did today, yesterday, or any of the days before that. He needed someone and he was fluffy, cuddly, and warm. That was enough for him.
<Jaspersprite> *** HAIR PIN: Old and dented and pilfered from somebody's skull. I really hope you don't plan on using this for your hair at any point.
-*- PurpleKoopa  2 l8
-*- ZeeZee candle in hand Ainsley began to examine the lock on the door. "Does anyone have something small that could be used to work the lock? My knives are too big to get into the keyhole."
<Jaspersprite> *** SALAMANDER SKULL: caaaAAAASEEEEEY.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Excellent indeed. Kanaya had scuttled her way towards the bars, intently watching the alien at work. Right now it was so far, so good, but...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Wait.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend That's it!
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Hold On"
-*- Nitro Halley refrains from flinching and instead patiently tucking against the trembling child, choosing to ignore the strangely bright eyes or the /hard/ skin that he can feel through the bandages. He even licks the boy's chin.
-*- Nitro It's ok, not-human child.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "My Sewing Needles Might Be Thin Enough For The Lock"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "At Least"
<Jaspersprite> *** It's a padlock. You know. Doing what padlocks do. Bulky and rusted, just like almost everything else in this jail cell. And yes. I just called you fat.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Hope So"
-*- PurpleKoopa hey i take offense at being called rusty
<ZeeZee> Check to see if you still have them, some things might have been confiscated upon being brought here.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The sewing needle is carefully taken out of her pack and handed off. It'd be dreadful if it were to splinter or, worse, shattered completely but...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Their options were rather limited at the moment.
<Nitro> [dAMN IT PEOPLE STOP BEATING ME TO UPDATING THE INVENTORIES]
<Nitro> [AND BY PEOPLE I MEAN PEEKAY, DOUBTLESS]
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It.
<ZeeZee> Ah, yes, those will do perfectly.
<ZeeZee> I will do my best to keep them in tact.
-*- ZeeZee holds a hand through the bars to accept the needles.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It would all be okay. Somehow.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "You Have My Thanks"
-*- Nitro That's the spirit, narrative voice.
-*- PurpleKoopa Dang! No hidden pirate gold under here. The rogue chucks the rock against the wall in frustration.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The needles are handed down. A generation dies. A new age begins. The age of locks.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...But no, that was silly. She was sure the needles would come out of this in stellar condition.
<Jaspersprite> *** Between the bars, the pins are exchanged. They certainly /look/ as though they're small enough to do the deed! While certainly nobody here knows how to pick a lock, it's undebatably worth the risk.
<Jaspersprite> *** ... Oh! As Kanaya takes the pins out of her pack, she may have noticed something different. Or something not being there at all, rather. If she were to pay attention, she'd notice...
<Jaspersprite> *** Her STRIFE PORTFOLIO is tragically empty!
<Jaspersprite> *** Roxy tosses the rock at the wall. DOOK.
-*- ZeeZee taking the needles Ainsley begins working the lock. Of course there was training for such things what with the war, but without being in the proper division for such things Ainsley knew nothing but what had been read about in books.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Somehow, someway, they'd make it through this. He just had to focus on the nice fluffy warmth beside him. Just that, and nothing else. Not how they were trapped in what could quite possibly be the bowels of hell. Not how he had been utterly useless to avoid their wretched fate. Especially not how he'd be practically crawling over his dad and still managed to miss him.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend No, no, none of that was important. Only this soft, cuddly dog.
<Jaspersprite> *** Ainsley: Please choose EVEN numbers or ODDS.
-*- ZeeZee odds.
<Jaspersprite> *** ...
<Jaspersprite> *** Click!
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Oh. That was new. And possibly catastrophic. Her frown melted away into something far more ambiguous as she struggled not to chew at her lip.
- {Day changed to Fri Dec 21 00:00:00 2012}
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Dont Mean To Alarm Anyone By Asking This But--"
<Jaspersprite> *** Masterfully done, with or without the professional skill. Before they know it, they'll be a master at breaking and entering in no time flat! The padlock falls to the ground with a CLUNK, sounding through the dimly lit corridor.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Did Anyone Else Happen To Lose All Their Specibi As Well"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend whimper--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...That was probably a yes.
-*- ZeeZee yes!
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But that was a far more jubilant yes!
-*- Nitro Said soft, cuddly dog demonstrated that quality by snuggling closer at the whimper. Don't worry. The dog still had his teeth.
-*- ZeeZee watching the lock fall to the ground Ainsley holds the needles in hand, listening to Kanaya's question. ... That's right... A quick check and... Oh...
<PurpleKoopa> "oh jeez that sounds like bad news lemme flip thru my folio to see if theres a specibus thief on the loose"
-*- Nitro Albeit, such weapons wouldn't be useful against iron and steel.
<ZeeZee> No... However, I have opened the door, so I suppose that is an improvement...
-*- ZeeZee pulling the heavy door back in proof of their words Ainsley stepped aside to let the group out of the cell.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "We Are Certainly In Much Better Condition Than Before That Much Is True"
-*- ZeeZee giving a big frown at Kanaya's question Sollux began to search for the sole weapon he had. Damnit, he just got this thing...
<Jaspersprite> *** ... Oh. That's, uh. Hrm. Lilly hastily checks her own STRIFE PORTFOLIO with a /very/ deep frown. It would appear as though the entire party lacks their strife specibi! It'll certainly be a tricky situation if you get into a fight like this. "/Shit/. Well."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Just in case certain people had managed to miss that fact, an easy mistake for some, she made a point of reaching out and patting Nero's shoulder. "Do You Hear That"
<Jaspersprite> *** "We'll just have to find them."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Weve Managed To Escape"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...Ah"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "From A Certain Point Of View That Is"
-*- PurpleKoopa Roxy flips through that weird meta thing known as a Strife Portfolio.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "But We Are No Longer Trapped"
<PurpleKoopa> "omg where is fistkind"
<PurpleKoopa> "where are my hands aaaaAAAAaAAAAAAA"
<ZeeZee> (ROXY CAN NO LONGER FORM A FIST)
-*- Nitro Nudge nudge. C'mon. It's ok now, Boy.
-*- tophatTimelady kk is behind all this
-*- tophatTimelady he took your /hands/ roxy
-*- ZeeZee ii told you guy2 kk 2teal2 hand2!!!
-*- PurpleKoopa it's gamzee's fault for getting everyone high
-*- tophatTimelady carrot22222
-*- tophatTimelady gamzee why
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Yeah, he heard it. He heard it just fine. They managed to open the door, whoop de doo. For all they knew, they had miles upon miles to go...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...But.
<Jaspersprite> *** Roxy, thankfully, still is in complete possession of her hands. Everybody has their weapons, as a matter of fact! Only now, Roxy's punches reflect on her inhebriation ten times over.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It was better than nothing. They weren't doomed. Yet. And even if he had lost the ability to even hold onto his dear weapons, he still had his fist.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The fist.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend And he had this dog. This nice, sweet, cuddly dog. That would do for now. It wasn't nearly enough, but...it was something.
-*- tophatTimelady The Fist.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (if you saw it in action)
-*- tophatTimelady and then suddenly
<PurpleKoopa> "oh phew i wouldnt know what to do if i ever lost my precious gameplayin fingers"
-*- tophatTimelady I AM INCOMPLETE
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (aRISTA NO)
-*- tophatTimelady RARARARWUGHTURGG
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (NOW IS SO NOT THE TIME)
-*- tophatTimelady it is SO THE TIME
<PurpleKoopa> "would have to push the buttons w my toes or whatever lolz"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend So he shakily stood himself up, one hand still firmly ruffling Halley's fur, and tried to collect what composure he had. "...y-yeah"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "i see it"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "b-but what makes ythink itll be that easy"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Dont"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "But It Never Hurts To Try"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Pat pat.
<ZeeZee> Shall we ascend?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Sounded like the kind of bullcrap his old man tried to feed him.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Heh.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "do we have a choice"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Im Afraid Not"
<Jaspersprite> *** "Can we? The longer we sit on our asses the longer we leave /one/ /of/ /the/ /only/ /vans/ /in/ /Econ/ to the squirrels."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...then lets get this over with already"
-*- tophatTimelady don't forget Gamzee
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Scritch scritch.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "cmon boy"
<PurpleKoopa> "do those squirrels know how to work a stick shift tho"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Kanaya had half a mind to remind Miss Caulwater that the van might be the least of their worries at the moment, but--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Well--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend There was no need to upset anyone with such news.
-*- ZeeZee doesn't know about you guys but is gonna head up those stairs.
<PurpleKoopa> "anyway yea upwards & onwards thats the way we like to roll"
<Nitro> [oh hi I was]
<Nitro> [preoccupied]
-*- Nitro ...Yeah, ok, he'll heel for now, Boy. Because you're incredibly emotionally unstable and he knows it.
<Jaspersprite> *** Everyone knows it. Nero's state of mental health isn't much of a secret.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Stairs sounded liked an excellent idea, in her own humble opinion. Even still, she made a point to fall back a bit to take up the rear. That way, they would have light coverage both ways.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend (It also meant that she could keep an eye on the still shaky, still trembling boy not too far ahead of her. She had a whimisical cloth with your name on it, boy. She already spent too long ignoring him as it was.)
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend N-no he's not! He's perfectly fine, okay?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend P-perfectly.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend F-fine.
-*- Nitro Sure you are, Boy.
<Jaspersprite> *** The old, wooden stairs creak with every step taken. The ascent isn't a particularly long one, thankfully, leading up to what appears to be... a kitchen! A rather... quaint one, mind you. With a large, black pot over a fire, full to the brim with water, an aged table with scratches along it's surface... several cabinets as well, along with dulled knives an
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Let's just. G-go.
<Jaspersprite> d rusted silverware littering the counter. This isn't a dungeon at all! Rather a cottage, by first glance. A door sits to the RIGHT of the basement entrance, while just across from it is another.
<ZeeZee> Strange...
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...Hm."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "You Dont Suppose This Would Be Our Captors Home Would You"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "n-no"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "r-really?"
<PurpleKoopa> "hmm! well this is p strange"
<PurpleKoopa> "what kind of cozy lil kitchen has got jail bars and salaskulls in the basement"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Not even trembling fear and insecurity could stop that smart mouth. He'd no sooner die than abandon it.
<PurpleKoopa> "omg you guys do you think we wound up in some kinda WITCHS COTTAGE??? O:"
<ZeeZee> Perhaps. I suggest we check the doors, see where they lead.
<PurpleKoopa> "i bet shes got bcrocker brownies cookin in the oven the FIEND"
<PurpleKoopa> "u guys check the doors im gonna spit in w/e majjyk bru shes got boilin here"
-*- Nitro Halley stayed beside the boy faithfully, blinking at the room as they emerged. What an odd thing. He was suspicious -- all of the dungeons and ruins he and Master had ever ventured into were, for the most part, complex and dangerous mazes. This was not that at all. More like someone had thrown them in the cellar...though, it was hardly a /makeshift/ prison.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "..."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "While I Disagree With Your Pirorities In This Situation--"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "screw it"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "s-save room fme"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "i aint leavin without a p-partin gift"
-*- ZeeZee glances to Nero.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> ". . .
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "I Suppose I Cant Stop Either Of You From Doing So"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Ainsley Would You Mind Taking The Right Door"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Ill Check The Left"
-*- ZeeZee nodding the alien did as asked.
-*- ZeeZee Sollux would stick with Kanaya for this one.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Our Respective Illumination Should Give Us A Good Idea Of The Area"
<ZeeZee> Agreed.
-*- PurpleKoopa Roxy changes her mind and carefully approaches the kitchen cabinets. She opens them slowly in case any enchanted knives jump out and stab her in the forehead. You can't be too sure with these witchy shacks.
<Nitro> *** ROXY IS STABBED IN THE FOREHEAD
<Nitro> *** D E A D
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend With that said, Kanaya quietly slipped towards the door. Their kidnapper could still be here for all they knew, after all. The doorknob is turned...
-*- PurpleKoopa HOW COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED
<Jaspersprite> *** BAD END
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend No, fuck it.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He's doing this.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He's mad, he's stressed, and-- as much as it pained him to say it-- he was scared goddamnit. Terrified out of his goddamn wits and then some. This crone had put a damper on what was already a godawful day. This, this was practically his birthright.
-*- ZeeZee without worry or hesitation Ainsley went to the door on the right, turning the nob with attempt to open it.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend So he tiptoed his way towards the cauldron-- still ever so tremblingly-- and peered into it.
-*- Nitro Halley, still sticking close -- largely because he had nothing better to do -- sniffed at the vapor coming out of the pot, cautiously.
-*- Nitro Don't sell that birthright for stew, Boy.
<Jaspersprite> *** Lilly, as a matter of fact, drops to a kneel and decides to help Roxy search through the cabinets. Mainly with an empty portfolio in mind, rather than the usual dungeon looting. "Be careful with those doors." She idly comments-- not that she figured them to /not/ be careful. Inside the cabinet is the following:
<Jaspersprite> *** (1) Moonscreen
<Jaspersprite> *** (1) Vinegar
<Nitro> [hEY KANAYA]
<Jaspersprite> *** (1) Canned Tunafish
<Jaspersprite> *** (1) Cyanide
<ZeeZee> (YES TUNAFISH!!)
<Jaspersprite> *** End list.
<ZeeZee> (... Oh... Cyanide..)
<Jaspersprite> *** The cauldron contains Lilly.
<Jaspersprite> *** GET IT.
<Jaspersprite> *** CAUL DRON???
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend dOHOHOHO
<Jaspersprite> *** The bubbling brew is murky and unidentifiable, with an even more unidentifiable and foul odor. No severed heads or children are bobbing around in there, rest assured, but it's debatable whether you want to find out what /might/ have been in there.
-*- Nitro Ew.
<PurpleKoopa> Roxy scoops up the goodies and holds them out to her fellow cabinet-searching buddy. "woohoo we hit the magic ingredient jackpot!"
<PurpleKoopa> "its like we won a sweepstakes @ wizmart"
-*- Nitro Boy you should /not/ trade your birthright for this stew.
-*- Nitro And by birthright the narrative of course means your arm.
-*- Nitro You know the one.
<ZeeZee> (I bet it's laundry.
<Jaspersprite> *** The right door's knob turns! From the look of things, it's the sleeping quarters. ... Not that it really constitutes as a sleeping quarters. The bed looks stiff and uncomfortable, the wood of the nightstand looks splintery, and the window is anything but clean, successfully obscuring the outside world.
<PurpleKoopa> "cuz im p damn sure cyanide is not normally in cooking recipes save 4 ones on crocker.com & all"
<PurpleKoopa> "those nutritional fax tables cant fool me"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Ew was right, pup. He'd seen better stews at his school cafeteria. He didn't know what it was, let alone what was in it, and frankly he didn't give a damn either way. Right now, there was only one thing he cared about.
-*- ZeeZee stepping inside Ainsley began to investigate, their turn to play sleuth.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend hHHHHAWK--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend PTOOY
-*- ZeeZee yum
-*- Nitro That was.
-*- Nitro Actually a pretty cool thing to do. Hah.
-*- Nitro Though it's arguably the spit that's being polluted here.
<Jaspersprite> *** MOONSCREEN: Fun in the sun is delightful, sure! But for people that find the night life much more appealing, this is the cream for you. Apply liberally in exposed areas, according to the label. Don't want to get any MOONBURNS or anything, now.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (you)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (you made this specifically for kanaya)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (didn't you)
<Nitro> [Hey, man. Maybe it's a vampire coven.]
<Nitro> [You ever think of /that/?]
<Nitro> [I bet you didn't.]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (except vampires can't get moonburns)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (because)
<Jaspersprite> [[Ffffffff]]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (you know)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (they /enjoy/ the night)
<PurpleKoopa> "careful w that spit nero i realized it could be one of those spells that require somethin from the victim like a hair strand or stool sample or something"
<Nitro> [Rainbow drinker.]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (/there/ you go)
<Nitro> [Shut up I can Homestuck terms ok]
<Jaspersprite> *** Vinegar: Yyyyech. Don't drink this.
<Jaspersprite> *** Canned Tunafish: Fantastic feasts for famished friendly felines! Dee-/lish/.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Oh.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Oh.
-*- PurpleKoopa more like dee-/fish/
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He wish he thought of tha tsooner.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Suddenly, he found himself backing away from that cauldron all the quicker. Fuck, she had a point. What if was some kind of voodoo stew? What if he just sealed his fate forever by that one stupid, careless mistake?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He didn't--
-*- Nitro Nudge nudge.
-*- Nitro You ok, boy?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...No. No. She was wrong. There was no way she could've planned for him to do that. It wasn't like she was a fucking genius or anything like that. She was just some old crone who had a few dusty magic tomes in her library. Nothing special. Nothing special at all.
<Jaspersprite> *** The cauldron fizzles for a moment as the DEMONIC SALIVA is administered to the brew... and...
<Jaspersprite> *** ... Nope, nothing. False alarm.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He took a deep breath.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend And...
-*- ZeeZee will just look around the bedroom for a little bit.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend There. He felt better already. Still a little jittery, but better.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "see? n-no big deal. just some dumb stew."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend No, wait. Wait just a second. He'd forgotten just one last thing.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He whirled back around to face the cauldron, coat ruffling around him, and gave his final parting gift--
<Jaspersprite> *** Past the door on the left, nothing /too/ spectacular awaits the rainbow drinker. Just a living room! With a splintery old coffee table, a ratty carpet, a very unpleasant looking arm chair... and the front door! A way out, at long las--
<Jaspersprite> *** ...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The rare and exotic bird that was the middle fucking finger.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "yeah"
-*- Nitro Hahahahaha. This boy was indeed an amusing human.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "happy fuckin halloween t-to y-ytoo sabrina"
-*- Nitro ...Er.
-*- Nitro Part-human.
<Jaspersprite> *** Uh oh. In the not-so-far away distance, footsteps and a cackle can be heard just nearby the cottage.
<Jaspersprite> *** http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=zjbdOEzVpaY&feature=relmfu
-*- tophatTimelady oh shit
<-- PurpleKoopa (Mibbit@c-98-207-104-248.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...!!!
--> PurpleKoopa (Mibbit@c-98-207-104-248.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has joined #Flarp2
<ZeeZee> ... well 2hiit.
<Nitro> *** Roxy FLEES IN TERROR --
-*- tophatTimelady this better be gruntilda's lair jasp these are my expectations
-*- Nitro Oh.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Jesus christ, did you hear that dog?
-*- tophatTimelady my expectations have not been met
-*- Nitro If the ears suddenly pricked are anything to go by, he did indeed.
<Jaspersprite> *** "Serves them /right/, bothering a poor, elderly woman like myself. Hrm! Well, no matter. They'll make a /delightful/ dinner!"
-*- tophatTimelady oh shit
-*- ZeeZee she's talking about carrots right?
<Jaspersprite> *** "What say you, Wizard Grunklemeister? Care to join me for supper? Oh, of /course/ you would."
-*- tophatTimelady sounds like my kind of woman
-*- ZeeZee you are not helpful and should go die in a ditch.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Kanaya would've been a lot happier with her find if she hadn't just heard those fateful words.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend As Karkat's dancestor might've put it, this was...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Especially problematic.
-*- tophatTimelady hush nowww, Dave. We must not interrrupt their peril, now should weee?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Eyes widening to nothing but scant little pupils, she whipped around and painstakingly shut the door with the most gentle of touches.
<ZeeZee> uh 2o... what exactly ii2 the plan here...?
<Jaspersprite> *** "Such a /charmer/, if I do say so myself! Eeeheeheehee!" The front door's handle turns. The witch has returned! Just on the front doorstep. If you're going to hide, now would be a more ideal good time to do be doing so.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Please, please don't hear it. They didn't need this. They didn't need this at all.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Quickly)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(We Must Shut Everything Closed And Return To The Basement)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(But Make Sure You Do It Quietly)"
-*- ZeeZee giving a frown Sollux did as told, sneaking down to the basement as best he could.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(an t-t-then what o mighty l-leader?)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(I'm pretty sure the cleanliness of her house isn't going to matter to her when she's /eating/ /us/ /aLIVE/--)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Its To Cover Our Tracks Ms Caul)"
<PurpleKoopa> "(oh shit shitshit shit shit sheeiiitttt weve g2g like NOW u guys)"
<Jaspersprite> *** Creeeeak.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(So I Suggest You Do It Fast)"
<ZeeZee> "(May I suggest an escape through the bedroom window?)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(And how are you going to cover up the /lock/ you--)"
-*- Nitro Halley growled very softly, He'd rather take the woman by surprise and attack her right off, but it wasn't as though he could voice that. Returning to the inescapable basement seemed like a good way to get cornered.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(isnt that a little too loud)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(i say we ambush her)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(We Have No Weapons)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(you dont)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Just--)"
-*- Nitro Thoroughly ignoring the humans' discourse, he took a few steps toward the second door, stopping only when he'd reached it to look back. Hey, hi, look there's this /other/ /room/.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(I--)"
<Jaspersprite> *** Step. Step. Step.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(In the bedroom, in the /bedroom/--)"
-*- ZeeZee retreats back to the bedroom.
-*- Nitro And cabinets and junk to hide in -- but of course, he was a dog, and couldn't communicate that.
-*- ZeeZee siiiiiiiighs and changes course to the bedroom.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Nero wasn't waiting for an answer. He had already followed the dog into the bedroom. He, for one, wasn't going to just sit here and argue discourse.
-*- PurpleKoopa This is not good THIS IS NOT GOOD. She is about to be gobbled up Hansel & Gretel style, and she didn't even get a chance to taste the house! Panicked, she pains herself to shut the drawers quietly rather than SLAM them.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Sigh.
-*- Nitro Good Boy.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend To the bedroom it was. But they could just as easily be cornered here as they could anywhere else. They needed a plan. Any plan would do. It would certainly be better than whatever they had now.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(shut the door s-shut the door!)"
<Jaspersprite> *** She proceeds to hastily slink to the bedroom, yes. Halley should be elected as the new leader for this group. Every good group has an excellent leader, after all. Just look at he--... Well. No matter. The party recollects in the bedroom, just beside the rather uncomfortable looking bed and equally unpleasant looking end table. Seriously, is that even a ma
<Jaspersprite> tress or did she pick up the nearest /slab/ /of/ /rock/--
-*- ZeeZee will just sort of... Quietly rifle through the end table, that is, if it's got anything to rifle through.
<PurpleKoopa> "(there)"
<PurpleKoopa> "(our tracks r totally covered)"
<ZeeZee> "(good now clo2e the door.)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "Don't worry, dear. I'll make us a delightful meal-- I have the fire on already! I know, I know, it's not /quite/ the safest thing to do before you leave the house..."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Ugh, did he have to do everything himself?
-*- Nitro ...Who /was/ she talking to?
<Jaspersprite> *** "But it's simply so /cold/ in this forest, wouldn't you say?"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Apparently, yes.
<Jaspersprite> *** Whoever she is, they aren't responding.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He reached out to quietly shut the door, hands trembling as if they were in their final hour.
<Jaspersprite> *** Step. Step. Step.
-*- tophatTimelady plot twist, our heroes are turned into stuffing for the main course.
-*- ZeeZee turning to the window Ainsley began doing their best to work it open, making sure to be as quiet as possible.
-*- ZeeZee total party kill.
-*- Nitro Halley very quietly positioned himself, not behind the bed, but a mere few feet from the door -- close enough to attack or at least startle the woman if she were to enter.
<Nitro> [The main course is aRMS]
-*- tophatTimelady ARRRRMS
<Nitro> [BRENDA NO SORCERY IS UNGODLY]
<Jaspersprite> *** Sollux decides this is an ideal time to poke around in the old woman's belongings. He gets a SPLINTER in doing so-- oh son of a /bitch/ that stings-- along with an ENCHANTED NOTEBOOK, along with a pack of MAGICAL CRAYONS. Score! When you're done picking awful times to do some looting, maybe you can ease your nerves with coloring.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Okay, okay.)"
<Nitro> [hELL YEAH SOLLUX]
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Now what.)"
-*- ZeeZee score.
-*- tophatTimelady are there my little pony pictures to color in the notebook
-*- ZeeZee will just grab those.
-*- ZeeZee aaaand then starts picking at the splinter, hooray for fingernails!!
<PurpleKoopa> "(hows that window comin along ainsley)"
<PurpleKoopa> "(if i need to just smash it then say the word we dont xactly got a lot of time here 4 a quiet getaway)"
<ZeeZee> "(It would appear to have been left unopened for quite some time I do not know if I can open it, quietly or otherwise.)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend The dog had the right idea. He was standing just opposite to the Bonecrusher, bandaged fist lifted and ready. They could do this. They could do this.
<Jaspersprite> *** Quiet as a mouse, Sollux withdraws the two whimsical objects from the night stand. You'll have a better time to examine them when you aren't under the threat of... guh. Staying for dinner. Ainsley attempts to pry the window open... but it's sealed tight! The only way you're going to open it is if you either make a /whole/ lot of noise or have a /whole/ lo
<Jaspersprite> t of time. And you can't afford either!
<Jaspersprite> *** Creeeeak.
<Jaspersprite> *** "Let's see now..."
<Jaspersprite> *** "Ah, the water's ready and everything. How splendid! This won't take very long at all. Don't fret, Wizard Grunklemeister! I'll have dinner ready before you..."
<Jaspersprite> *** "... Well that's odd."
<Jaspersprite> *** "I don't remember adding much of anything to the pot before I left! Tch, curious."
<ZeeZee> "(I suggest we wait for her to look for us in the basement, at that moment we can run to the front door."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Meanwhile, Kanaya was busy sitting on the bed and trying her damnedest to stay as quiet as a squeakbeast. They had a plan here. Yes, good, a plan. If only they could--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Wait.
<PurpleKoopa> "(what about seaweedbeard tho theres gotta be some way we can save him from the gnarled clutches of that crone)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Ainsley)"
-*- ZeeZee meanwhile Sollux was working on that splinter.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(I Think I Might Be Able To Shrink Those Screws)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(That Would Make Them Fall Out Harmlessly Yes)"
<Nitro> *** Sollux FAILS TO REMOVE the splinter. It is a hindrance for the remainder of the game. -1 DEX, -1 STR
-*- ZeeZee DAMNIT.
<Jaspersprite> *** Priorities are things that Sollux need to work on. He messes around with the splinter in his finger for a few moments, wiggling it about before, after a series of attempts, managing to get it free! Thank heavens.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Breathe Maryam, breathe. They were doing fine. She was doing fine.
-*- ZeeZee sweet.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Okay, okay. See if we can do that. One of you-- check to see what she's doing now. And be fucking /careful/.)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He was going to have to do this, wasn't he. Goddamnit.
<ZeeZee> "(I can send out a butterfly to check, there are a few still in the basement I left out just in case.)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "Oh, well! I suppose it'll only add to the zest. I hope you don't mind anything too /spicey/, Wizard Grunklemeister-- that's just how this generation is nowadays, I'm afraid."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Oh. Oh good. Okay. He didn't have to do it.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(then whatre you waitin for?)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(b-but listen--)"
-*- Nitro Halley leaned close to the door, straining his ears to hear where the footsteps were. If she started heading this way, even a little...
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(b-be careful about it)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(ok?)"
<ZeeZee> "(Of course.)"
-*- Nitro Nudge nudge. Don't get distracted, Boy. It'll cost you.
-*- ZeeZee taking a deep breath Ainsley sent the butterflies from the basement up, making them stay close to the ceiling to avoid being seen as they looked around.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Alright. Here's hoping this wouldn't fail spectacularly. Don't fail them now, Kanaya, they needed more. More than ever before. She took another deep breath, desperately trying to calm her nerves, then slowly closed her mind.
<Jaspersprite> *** "Hrm... we're out of vinegar. I'll have to go shopping for some in the morning."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Alright. Focus.
<PurpleKoopa> "(ok kanaya nows the time to use ur shrinky dink powers)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Focus on the screws. Shrink them into nothing. She could do this. It was just within her grasp--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend !
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend H-he wasn't getting distracted or anything. He was just.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Being cautious.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend That's all.
-*- Nitro Whatever. B[
-*- Nitro And he wasn't stuttering, either.
<Jaspersprite> *** Ainsley's butterflies can very well see the witch in her kitchen, standing just in front of the cauldron, stirring... /whatever/ that brew was intented to be. It looks even more sickly than it did a few moments ago, really. How could /anybody/ stomach something like... that? It's a witch thing, you guess.
<ZeeZee> "(She's just standing there stirring at the moment...)"
<Jaspersprite> *** Kanaya, muttering the incantation underneath her breath, focuses on the window's screws and...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend HAH. L-let's see her enjoy that stew now.
<Jaspersprite> *** Haha! Success! Lilly watches the window as... as uh...
<Jaspersprite> *** As a single screw falls out of it's place and hits the wooden floor without a sound.
<Jaspersprite> *** No words.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend That, of course, he decided to keep in his head. No reason to waste his breath on anything so dumb...
<PurpleKoopa> "..."
<PurpleKoopa> "whoops i mean (...)"
-*- ZeeZee will send a butterfly or two to the living room to see who it is she's talking to.
<PurpleKoopa> "(4got to do /quiet/ silence lol)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(/Shh/.)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Okay, look. I've got a plan.)"
<PurpleKoopa> "(why dont you just try to shrink the glass pane)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...However, it was hard to not to see the faint smirk on his face.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> ("I...")
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(...I Wish I Had Thought Of That Sooner)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Um)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Thank You Roxy)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(She's too wound up in her stirring or... whoever the fuck she's talking to to notice anyone. We just have to...)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Sneak up behind her and push her into the pot.)"
<ZeeZee> "(2omethiing tell2 me that'2 a 2tupiid iidea...)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "(As Tempting As That Plan Is Im Afraid I Must Agree With Sollux)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Shrinking The Glass Plane Seems Much More...)"
<ZeeZee> "(not 2tupiid.)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Indeed)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Okay. So we'll wait here while you rest and in an hour or so we'll escape because there's /no/ /way/ /she/'/ll/ /go/ /into /her/ /bedroom/ /at/.)"
<Jaspersprite> *** Checks watch.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Three thirty in the morning.)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(...)"
<PurpleKoopa> "(wait holy shit is it that time already??? kanaya ur gonna need this)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Sometimes I Must Wonder About The Efficency About This Worlds Magic System)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(...?)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(I don't think wizards had this in mind.)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Pardon)"
<Jaspersprite> *** A butterfly makes the daring trip into the living room, setting it's sights on...
-*- PurpleKoopa Roxy hands her rainbow drinking pal the bottle of MOONSCREEN.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend What were those idiots yammering about? Didn't they know that every single word was precious? The old bat had ears, you know!
<PurpleKoopa> "(there you go now the piercin beams of the moon wont char ur delicate skin)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(...But)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(I Cant Shrink The Glass Pane)"
<Jaspersprite> *** Oh. There's nothing in here. Save for the unmistakable statue WEEDBEARD on the coffee table. Or, sorry. Wizard Grunklemeister.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Though That Doesnt Make This Any Less Of A Thoughtful Gift)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Thank You)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Can you exchange makeup /later/?!)"
<ZeeZee> "(Oh...)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(What's it going to be? We don't have a lot of time.)"
<ZeeZee> "(The weed bearded wizard would appear to be her companion in the living room...)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "Hm... we're out of a lot of things, from the look of it."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Kanaya pockets the Mooncream in her pack, lamenting it uselessness in this situation. It could certainly come in handy someday-- indeed, very much in handy-- but...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Just not now.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Unless...
<Jaspersprite> *** "Maybe I should head into the forest to get herbs for dinner..."
<Jaspersprite> *** "... What was that, Wizard Grunklemeister? Oh, you're such a charmer. Very well, then! The pot should be ready in..."
<Jaspersprite> *** "Not /very/ long, I believe. Besides!"
<Jaspersprite> *** "I left some extra spices under by bed, for a /special/ occasion."
<Jaspersprite> *** "And I /do/ believe this qualifies!"
<ZeeZee> ...
<ZeeZee> "(well 2hiit.)"
-*- ZeeZee snoops under the bed by the way.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (omfg)
-*- tophatTimelady you might need those if you have chicken one night
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (sollux you /thief/)
<Jaspersprite> *** A lot of grass and dead bugs. Oh, that's... uh. Hrm. These are probably delicacies in some far off, magical land. But you're not really /in/ some far off, magical land--
<Jaspersprite> *** Oh.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Oh. Oh no. They were already too late. She would be coming in any minute now. They had to think fast. Too fast for her.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Make up your minds already! What are we doing?!)"
-*- ZeeZee as a last minute distraction a butterfly lands right on the witche's nose.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend God, why did she have to be so useless,,,
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Shit.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Shit.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Okay, you ready dog?
<Jaspersprite> *** "Yech, a /bug/. Not even a very /good/ bug, either."
<Jaspersprite> *** SWAT. (-1).
-*- Nitro Bristling and coiled like a spring ready to leap, yes.
<Jaspersprite> *** ... Plop!
<Jaspersprite> *** ... Oh god did she just put that in the cauldron--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend This might have been the first, and perhaps only time, that he had ever bothered to give a dog a meaningful look.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend iT REALLY IS BRENDA)
<Nitro> [oH GOD]
<Nitro> [ON THE MENU: ONE OF AINSLEY'S ARMS]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (AINSLEY,,,)
-*- ZeeZee god domnit.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (THAT WAS PROBABLY HER /BEAUTY MARK/)
<Nitro> [DANTE KNOWS THAT FEEL]
<PurpleKoopa> "(hey nero before u go all gungho kickbutt action hero on that witch bitch why not terrorize her 1st)"
-*- ZeeZee hissing a little Ainsley winces as they lose contact with the now dead butterfly.
-*- Nitro The meaningful look was returned, surprisingly! Given that he was a dog and, though evidently a hyperintelligent one...still a dog.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(I'm pretty sure we're all terrorized as it is, thanks.)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(yeah okay)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(like ill have time for that)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Just pUSH HER IN ALREADY--)"
--> tenaciouslyCrunknasty (Mibbit@74.112.108.90) has joined #Flarp2
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend And that's all he manages to hiss, barely audible to even the keenest of ears, as he readied his battering arm.
<Jaspersprite> *** "Wonderful! Just one last adjustment annn..."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He was gonna get the jump on her, while he still had the element of surprise.
<Jaspersprite> [[*aND]]
-*- ZeeZee not done snooping under the bed by the way.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Knock that bitch right in the teeth.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (dID YOUR LUSUS TEACH YOU THIS)
-*- ZeeZee shhhhh.
-*- ZeeZee only theft now.
<Jaspersprite> *** That's all you found, Sollux. Bugs and grass. I know it's been a while since you've had a meal, but you /really/ can't be THAT peckish.
-*- ZeeZee damn...
-*- ZeeZee at least I got that cool coloring book...
-*- ZeeZee wait...
-*- ZeeZee will just... draw the witch dead with those cool crayons in that cool coloring book.
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Oh for /fuck/'/s/ /sake/. You know what? I'll do it.)"
-*- Nitro The Bonecrusher would, of course, dive low -- maybe try to pin her down when the Boy knocked her back.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Lily would find herself suddenly stopped by a gentle but forceful hand. The same hand that could even put the Bonecrusher in his place.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Dont)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Please I Implore You)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(Fidgity As He May Be--)"
<Jaspersprite> *** Creeeak. "Oh, boo. We're out of wine! Hrm..."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(The Boy Knows What Hes Doing)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Here comes the wind-up...
-*- Nitro Hey.
<Jaspersprite> *** "I wonder if that /girl/ had any. /She/ seemed as though she was enjoying the evening. Oh, well! No matter."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Just waiting for the blow...
<Jaspersprite> *** "I tell you, Wizard."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(...Oh)"
<Jaspersprite> *** "This stew is going to be absolutely to /die/ /for/! Eeeeheeheehee. Just let me--"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(And Our Faithfully Loyal Companion Of Course)"
-*- Nitro Thank you.
<ZeeZee> ...
<alaroraAxuilafiend> ("Thats A Given")
-*- Nitro Naturally.
<Jaspersprite> *** "... Oh, hrm. Peculiar. I could have /sworn/ that I was saving the demon saliva for the holiday dinner."
-*- tophatTimelady snrk
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Ugh, fine. Just--)"
-*- ZeeZee yes good, the witch is now being beaten up by flying brooms in his drawings, yessss.
-*- ZeeZee might as well draw.
-*- ZeeZee since he's not doing anything else.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (sollux you are just)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (such a special child)
-*- ZeeZee you bet.)
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Can you just /go/ /already/???)" She'd long since have knocked the witch into the cauldron were it not for the interference of Kanaya. "(She'll be done any /second/!)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(thats the point)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(ever heard of the element of surprise ydumb bi-)"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(bidoof?)"
-*- Nitro ...That was a terrible save.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend S-shut up. Bidoof was god awful. It works.
<Jaspersprite> *** Sollux begins to doodle a dead witch in the enchanted notebook. As the crayon's tip leaves the page...
<Jaspersprite> *** "(Oh you are so lucky I'm above hitting kids--)"
-*- tophatTimelady nehoyah neh
<Jaspersprite> [[*gREEN]]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(shell come into this room any minute now...)"
-*- tophatTimelady hehehe
<Nitro> [tHE WITCH IS ABOVE HITTING KIDS]
<Nitro> [TAKE ADVANTAGE NERO]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (GO FOR THE GOLD)
<Jaspersprite> *** "There! Finished. Now, just let me top it off..."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (YOU HAVE NO QUALMS AGAINST HITTING WOMEN)
<alaroraAxuilafiend> (OR THE ELDERLY)
<Jaspersprite> *** Step. Step. Step.
<Jaspersprite> [[fFFF]]
-*- ZeeZee next the witch is slipping on a banana peel.
-*- ZeeZee he is a master.
-*- ZeeZee just you wait, soon he will be called troll picasso.
<Jaspersprite> *** The drawing begins to reform! Into something nowhere near a dead witch being beaten by cleaning impliments. One of the eight CRAYONS disappears right from the box.
-*- ZeeZee ... da fuk?
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(...Sollux)"
<ZeeZee> "(ye2?"
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "(As Much As I Enjoy Your Artistry Might I Suggest You Save That For Later)"
<Jaspersprite> *** The bedroom door begins to creeeeak open...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Oh--
<ZeeZee> "(what the fuck el2e am ii goiing two do?)"
<PurpleKoopa> "(ffffffff ok ive gotta do somethin bout this mess like now)"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Here it comes...
-*- Nitro One for the money, two for the show. Halley didn't actually care about money despite being the richest living being here.
<Jaspersprite> *** "I am /such/ an excellent host, Wizard Grunkl--"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend JACKPOT!
-*- ZeeZee watching the pictures reform.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend That fist goes flying right up into that old hag's face!
-*- Nitro And then he dove forward with a vicious snarl at the woman's middle, ducking under Nero's arm.
-*- Nitro C-C-C-COMBO!
<Jaspersprite> *** KAPOW.
-*- ZeeZee will just... Sit and watch for now.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She told you, didn't she?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It was exhilirating, terrifying, and awe-inspiring to watch all at once. From the brilliant blue flames flaring from the bandages, to the white rush of tooth and claw charging into the witch. It gave her almost something of a thrill.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Something almost like hope.
<Jaspersprite> *** The witch is sent flying back by the sheer force of Nero's punch and Halley's fearless tackle! With a scream, she clutches her face as she stumbles backwards into the bubbling black cauldron behind her, ending her life in a gruesomely ironic manner.
<Jaspersprite> *** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhT_OXSAmHM&feature=relmfu
<Jaspersprite> *** "... Holy /shit/."
-*- Nitro ...O-oh.
-*- Nitro Oh?
-*- Nitro What?
-*- PurpleKoopa this flarp session brought to you by king's quest vi
-*- Nitro That was...easy?
<Jaspersprite> *** One moment, Sollux--
-*- ZeeZee yep.
<Jaspersprite> *** It has a goOD SOUNDTRACK OKAY--
<-- PurpleKoopa (Mibbit@c-98-207-104-248.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
--> PurpleKoopa (Mibbit@c-98-207-104-248.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has joined #Flarp2
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Yeah?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend T-they did it?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend They actually did it in one swoop?
<PurpleKoopa> Roxy holds in a screech as the witch comes to a painfully short end. "holy mcmoly i was just gonna try puttin her to sleep"
-*- Nitro Halley landed, blinked at the boiling body and wrinkling his nose at the stench of...well, a woman boiling in a pot of already disgusting goop. He glanced at the Boy uncertainly, wholly expecting shock and uncertainty and maybe oncoming hysterics. Either crying because he'd just helped kill a woman or hysterical laughter at the situation.
-*- Nitro Humans were weird. He didn't know which.
<Nitro> [omf Roxy]
<PurpleKoopa> "uh"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...Y-yeah, alright! H-hell yeah! Look at that witch tumble! They did it! They did it and no one had to die! It was gonna be okay!
<PurpleKoopa> "lets not try any of that stew ok"
<PurpleKoopa> "i think we should dump it out clearly its not fit 4 human consumption"
<PurpleKoopa> "or anyone consumption"
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend A triumphant smirk flashed on his features as he watched the witch tumble into her own stew, frying...
<tenaciouslyCrunknasty> if u eat it u can gain her powers)
-*- tophatTimelady except the witch, nero
-*- tophatTimelady ew das groce)
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...F-frying herself alive. As she screamed. Horribly. Awfully. Like she had nothing else to live for.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "I don't know what I'd if anything were to happpen to you..."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend "Katie..."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [hey kids]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [are you ready for IBLIS IS A TERRIBLE PERSON TIME]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [beacuse i am[
-*- PurpleKoopa nero, this is what, the second person you've murdered
-*- tophatTimelady I thought that was all da time)
<Nitro> [when is it not that time >8y]
<Jaspersprite> *** An engraving on the side of the pot says 'With love, from Chuck Greene to W. Greene'
<Jaspersprite> *** You kiLLED A MOTHER TOO
<ZeeZee> (FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF)
-*- tophatTimelady oh god
<Nitro> *** Nero you have a /problem/
-*- tophatTimelady nero this is why we can't have nice things
-*- PurpleKoopa halley don't try to look so innocent
-*- PurpleKoopa you were an accomplice >B[
<Jaspersprite> *** "... Anybody feel like checking her body to see if she's got the specibi on her, or..."
<ZeeZee> ... I can do it.
<Jaspersprite> *** "You /sure/."
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend That smirk had soon vanished just as quickly as it appeared, melting away into a look of pure bewildered terror. Oh god. Dear god. Dear loving god.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend T-this--
-*- ZeeZee nods.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend T-this wasn't happening--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend N-not again--
-*- Nitro The dog crept closer to the Boy, nudging the bandaged arm with blood on the knuckles carefully.
-*- Nitro Nudge nudge.
-*- Nitro Whine.
-*- ZeeZee cheeeecks the body.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be happening.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend His breath hitched into just barely a whispered as he edged back, eyes wide and lost. N-no. N-no. H-he didn't mean to. He wasn't a monster. He couldn't have been.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He didn't want to be a monster--
-*- ZeeZee Sollux is just gonna... Sit in the bedroom, don't mind him.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend He finally backed up into bed, tumbling onto the sheets. He hardly noticed. Hardly noticed at all. His eyes were somewhere else. Somewhere far and away. Somewhere terrifying.
<ZeeZee> ... nero?
<Jaspersprite> [[sIGHS BECAUSE NOW I CAN'T FIND WHERE THE GRIMDARK METER WAS AT LAST]]
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Kanaya had wanted to be triumphant, even if the death was truly quite gruesome-- she had to admit that she had only winced, a leftover from her days living in a cruel and bloodthirsty land-- and somewhat extravagant...
<Jaspersprite> *** VAGUELY ACCURATE GRIMDARK METER: 70%
<ZeeZee> hey nero... 2hiit... nero man come on...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...But it was difficult to be either when one of your comrades looked like he had seen the fall of a nation before his very eyes. She should've expected this. He wasn't a troll, after all. Death meant something much more to humankind than it ever did to trollkind. That and--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Well--
-*- Nitro Halley followed suit, crawling onto the bed and lying down alongside the boy to lick his cheek. He didn't expect much of a response, much of anything right now. His own boy had always been terribly upset by death. Any death, his fault or otherwise. Though he championed adventure, he didn't...
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend This hadn't been the first time. Lord knows he hadn't reacted well to that either. Perhaps even worse here.
<Jaspersprite> *** The picture that Sollux drew finally finishes it's shifting, slowing to a stop on the pages. It looks much like this house, actually! A more-or-less accurate depiction of the witch's cottage. Drawing in the enchanted notebook, from the look of things, gives you a MAP of the location you're at! How nifty. Now you have an /excuse/ for coloring at awful time
-*- Nitro The first few times were bad, like this. The first many, even. And this Boy had suffered such once before, as he remembered well.
<Jaspersprite> s.
<Jaspersprite> *** http://oi45.tinypic.com/n4h7iu.jpg
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But there was still that deadeye stare and trembling form, and that's all that mattered to her.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend As far as she was concerned it was her upmost duty to scoot closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She could only hope to do their best.
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...Im Sorry."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "There Was Nothing You Could Do About It."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Though I Suppose That Isnt Much Of A Comfort Is It."
<Jaspersprite> *** Ainsley checks the deep fried witch's robe pockets for a few moments, quickly adding grave robery to the party's list of many OFFENSES AGAINST THE LAW. But not without successfully digging up exactly what they were looking for in the first place! The strife specibi! How convenient.
<ZeeZee> ...
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Im Afraid Im Not As Good At This As I Wish I Could Be."
<ZeeZee> I have the specibi...
<Nitro> [The previous Grimdark thing was 60%, by the way --]
<Jaspersprite> [[Thank]]
<Jaspersprite> [[Ten sounds accurate either way tho]]
<Nitro> [Agreed -- also I'm gonna]
<Nitro> [Add a fuel gauge and grimdark meter to the docs]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [it's probably a good idea to slap that somewhere on his character sheet]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [perf]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [maybe in black and white lettering 8y]
<Jaspersprite> [[That would be good yes <:y]]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "...But That Wont Stop Me From Trying I Assure You."
<alaroraAxuilafiend> "Come Here."
<Jaspersprite> *** "That's great! God, thanks. We'd be as good as dead out at night without a weapon." ... Oh. Oh, man. That kid didn't seem... /too/ good with this kind of thing, huh. Maybe she would have been just as concerned as he was-- but it was her or them, and she'd bet her dinner--
<Jaspersprite> *** ... Poor choice of wording--
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend She procured a roll of cloth from her ever trusty pack, draping it over the boy's shoulder. It wasn't much, but it was the best she could offer. And it had felt so nice when she had first picked it up from Robert's place...
<Jaspersprite> *** That she's been eating any kid that's wandered too far into the forest in the past.
<Nitro> [Lilly you're so bad at this]
<tenaciouslyCrunknasty> kanaya- the town pale bicycle)
<Jaspersprite> *** Lilly hopes she /rots/.
<Jaspersprite> [[pALEWHORE]]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [kANAYA IS EVERYONE'S MOTHER OKAY]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [THIS ONE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A MOTHER]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [SOMEBODY'S GOTTA BE HIS MOTHER ALRIGHT]
<Jaspersprite> [[IS VERGIL STILL THE FATHER]]
<Nitro> [oH GOD]
<tophatTimelady> (no he's the gerbil)
<Nitro> [He is both the Unka Gerbil and also a dinosaur]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [he is the stuffed t-rex]
<alaroraAxuilafiend> [it is him]
<Jaspersprite> *** The whimsical cloth is draped over Nero's shoulders, unnaturally soft and warm as it always was. Kanaya continues to attempt to be EVERYBODY'S MOIRAIL at the slowly increasing price of her mental health.
<Jaspersprite> *** Nothing new, essentially.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It is well worth it, regardless of the price.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It was always well worth it.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend <>
<PurpleKoopa> The doors are open. The witch is dead, and everyone's free to go. Seaweedbeard's beauteous visage beckons Lalonde from across the house. And yet... she doesn't feel like embracing the statue, or stroking its leafy wizlocks, or doing /anything/, really. There's something far more troubling pressing her mind. Something that needed to be dealt with first.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend Halley was, as always, right on the dime. Nero had hardly batted an eye at any of the attention. He could only stare, drilling holes into the wooden walls. Lip quivering. Shoulders shivering. A mess in all but name.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend ...But he had managed to shift a little bit closer to Kanaya, huddling in the newfound warmth and leaning into her shoulder. The blanket was warm and soft, so very soft. That was all he needed to know.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend It reminded him of a time, once, when all he could rely on was a pair of strong arms and an unnaturally cuddly warmth. A warmth no one could compare to.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty And then Gamzee wakes up.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend But even that seemed so, so far away...
-*- PurpleKoopa PARTY'S OVER
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend B A D  E N D
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Because he figured it was high time to get up and get THIS PARTY STARTED FOR REAL
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty MOTHERFUCK BUT HE CANNOT SEE A DAMN THING THOUGH
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend omfg
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend /gamzee/
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty probably got knocked out by the floor/someone else bein telaportaled on top of him/ w/e
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Thump, thump, thump goes the clown against whatever else is in the basement as he searches for the stairs and/or door.
-*- Nitro The dog shuffled back, gave the boy a final look-over -- this one more stern, hard, as though to make sure that dark air the boy always carried with him wasn't growing as it sometimes did. He was beginning to get used to it under normal circumstances, but now...
-*- Nitro ...But everything seemed under control. He drew away, hopped off the bed, and started out the door to check the situation, peering cautiously into the living room to see if the way to the door was still, by chance, blocked. But no.
-*- Nitro There was only that girl there, looking downtrodden.
-*- Nitro Thump, thump, thump --
-*- Nitro Oh that did not sound so great --
-*- Nitro Distracted from the girl (because, as comparatively intelligent as he was, he was still a dog and easily side-tracked), he started down the stairs without a second thought, slowing down cautiously halfway down the stairs and growling.
-*- Nitro ...He wasn't sure how something would get in the basement without being seen but he didn't ask too many questions about these things.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Thump, thump, tHUMP, THUMP- A pile of hair and ratty cloth falls onto the stairs just in front of Halley.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Oh look, it's Gamzee.
-*- Nitro Halley jumped -- but that was a familiar smell.
-*- Nitro How you doin', Smelly Boy.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty "Fuuuuck," answers the jumble of dude.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty "Where the /motherfuck/ we end up at this time, dogbro?"
-*- Nitro In a dungeon cellar. She's dead now though.
<Nitro> Halley nudged the mass of hair before crinkling his nose and sneezing on it. That was a bad idea.
<Nitro> [wHOOPS /me I meant]
<Nitro> [w/e]
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend dogs can sneeze
-*- Nitro Wh
-*- Nitro What kind of question
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend i
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty yes they can sneeze
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend have never seen a dog sneeze
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend scout's honor
-*- Nitro You /weird/
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty bless u
-*- PurpleKoopa maybe you've never even seen a dog >B[
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend WHAT IS A DOG
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend this rp has told me that is some
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend FURRY
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend FOUR LEGGED THING
-*- tophatTimelady they're small naked things that look like humans
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend WITH A NOSE
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend AND A TAIL
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty A hand flops out of the pile and gives Halley a pat. Good dog, best bro.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Gamzee unfolds in a sort of boneless sprawl before standing with what appears to be great effort on the stairs.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty "Aight, my man, wanna take me to where everybody else is at?"
-*- Nitro Gamzee now has dog snot in his hair in addition to whatever was there already.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty He does not notice or care.
-*- Nitro As though understanding the request, the Bonecrusher turns and treks back up the stairs, and then, remembering his former quest, to the living room, wherein Weedbeard and Roxy lurk.
<-- ZeeZee (Mibbit@cpe-72-230-101-247.twcny.res.rr.com) has quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty A horrible monstrosity made of greasepaint and pit stonk lurches out of the basement- oh wait, still Gamzee.
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty He smells the air. "Aww, damn, y'all motherfuckers went and made some dinner."
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Homeboy wanders toward the cauldron.
-*- Nitro Homeboy discovers a cauldron of already-disgusting liquid with a woman's boiling body.
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend delicious
-*- tophatTimelady yum
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Awesome he dips a finger in and gives that shit a motherfucking taste
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend hope you like nero's spit
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend oh
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend and also maybe a dead body
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty He might, actually.
-*- tophatTimelady and a butterfly
-*- tophatTimelady magical alien butterfly
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Oh, one of Ainsley's b-flys went in there?
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend more like
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend the witch /killed/ one of ainsley b-flys and tossed it in there
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend surprise you're too late
<tenaciouslyCrunknasty> shit, son)
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty is ains missing like a thumbnail now or someshit)
-*- alaroraAxuilafiend your friends are already dinner
-*- Jaspersprite HOW CAN YOU HOPE TO EAT ME WHEN I AM ALREADY DINNER
-*- tenaciouslyCrunknasty Idk but if he doesn't die immediately he's probably gonna eat some more

AND THEN EVERYONE REGROUPED AND CARRIED UNCONSCIOUS PEOPLE BACK TO THE VAN AND SLEPT THERE BECAUSE GAMZEE'S THE ONLY ONE OKAY WITH SLEEPING IN THAT HOUSE RIGHT NOW