[2018-07-17 17:06:45] <TWDuke|GM> ||||
[2018-07-17 17:11:40] <TWDuke|GM> Saturday morning, the beach is inundated with block colours in the form of umbrellas, towels and surf gear, and the full spectrum of flesh tones. It’s still too early for anyone to have burned lobster-red just yet, but you can see a few who are on their way.
[2018-07-17 17:15:02] <TWDuke|GM> The die-hard beachcombers have come and gone, the dawn surfers and joggers have largely been replaced by families trying to exhaust their kids before the midday heat. From your vantage point, cresting one of the dunes, you can see Angelique taking a pack of grommets out for a paddle. The path stretches down before you, heading to your usual patch of sand.
[2018-07-17 17:18:10] <TWDuke|GM> The beach bears no marks of last night’s activities. Your halfhearted cleaning attempts, combined with the natural shifting of the windswept sands, has hidden all trace of your binding circle. In it’s place, Jasmine is sunbathing on a navy blue towel, matching her bikini. Large, dark shades cover most of the upper half of her face.
[2018-07-17 17:20:13] * Olivebirdy → Olive|Quint
[2018-07-17 17:20:32] <TWDuke|GM> Clay is perched on a favorite stone, wearing a sleeveless shirt advertising one metal band or another and board shorts. He’s got a sketchbook out, and you suspect he’s doing portraits of new faces. He occasionally steals a glance at Jasmine from the corner of his eye.
[2018-07-17 17:21:45] <TWDuke|GM> An intense flapping by your ear is met with a sudden weight and the sharp pinch of talons on your shoulder. A large seabird has come to rest on your shoulder. She looks down at you with one baleful yellow eye. Her beak parts.
[2018-07-17 17:22:03] <TWDuke|GM> “So? Where are these allies of yours?” ||
[2018-07-17 17:24:55] ⇐ Thepicheese quit (uid244828@stonehaven.irccloud.com): Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
[2018-07-17 17:27:28] <Olive|Quint> Quint's  ankles sink deeper into the sand.  The huge bird added over four kilos to his own weight. He hadn't looked up exactly what type of bird she was, but that hooked beak easily classified her as a raptor, a hunter bird.  Black wings and a white head and belly. Better-looking than other goblin familiars tended to be, from what he'd heard, they were generally toads or lizards. Ugly creatures.
[2018-07-17 17:29:32] <Olive|Quint> "This is Jasmine, and this is Clay," he says, indicating them. Turning to his friends, he says, "This is Riptide," then waits, anticipating Clay's outburst. Jasmine could generally be relied upon to be calm about things, but Clay...||
[2018-07-17 17:31:46] <TWDuke|GM> The pair turn in sync to look up at you. Clay’s forced to cover his eyes to block the glaring sun. You cut quite a striking figure, standing above them, massive bird on your shoulder.
[2018-07-17 17:33:23] <TWDuke|GM> “You’re shitting me.” Clay’s pencil falls from his hand, and he doesn’t try to retrieve it. He stares at you, slack-jawed. “You actually did it, you madman.”
[2018-07-17 17:33:40] <TWDuke|GM> Jasmine grins. ||
[2018-07-17 17:38:47] <Olive|Quint> "YEAH I did!" Quint grins back.  "We did some talking last night, and we really seemed to click. You're supposed to take a familiar after a victory, something that symbolizes how you deal with Others? I figured that making friends with an enemy is something I'd like to be known for."||
[2018-07-17 17:40:04] <TWDuke|GM> Riptide glowers, her penetrating eyes assessing your friends. You have no idea how to read her expression.
[2018-07-17 17:42:02] <TWDuke|GM> Clay shakes his head and laughs, a deep, throaty sound. “Jesus Christ.” He bends over to find the pencil where it fell in the sand, then rummages in the duffel bag at his feet. Eventually, he finds his vape, and puts it to his lips like it’s water in the desert.
[2018-07-17 17:42:46] <TWDuke|GM> “Nice to meet you, Birdy!” Jasmine rolls over, onto her elbows, and waves with the fingers of one hand.
[2018-07-17 17:43:55] <TWDuke|GM> “My name is Riptide.” You feel her talons dig into your shoulder tighter as she speaks. You look around - it doesn’t seem anyone else heard her. ||
[2018-07-17 17:47:34] <Olive|Quint> Good, wouldn't want any innocents noticing a talking bird.
[2018-07-17 17:49:15] <Olive|Quint> Quint feels kinda great at the moment, despite the fight for his life last night. Probably something about the spirits being happy with him or something? Performing a self-affirming, defining ritual, connecting to a powerful Other. He feels like he could just go on forever, even the bite on his leg seems to be disappearing.
[2018-07-17 17:50:25] <Olive|Quint> "Wanna go surfing? It's been a while since I've been able to go into the sea without worrying for my safety."||
[2018-07-17 17:50:59] <Olive|Quint> ((Talking to everyone, Clay, Jas, Rip.))
[2018-07-17 17:51:06] <TWDuke|GM> ((Gotcha))
[2018-07-17 17:52:29] <TWDuke|GM> Clay looks between you, the bird, and his hands. He takes another rip of his vape, and through a puffy white cloud says, “Screw it. I’m in.”
[2018-07-17 17:54:54] <TWDuke|GM> As he starts to pack away his drawing gear, Jasmine rolls back over her back. “Not for me, today, thanks.” Probably for the best - from the sound of her voice, you suspect that her eyes are very bloodshot under those glasses, and getting in the water under the influence is a bad idea.
[2018-07-17 17:56:49] <TWDuke|GM> Clay has to run to his car to grab his board, leaving you alone with Jasmine and Riptide for a moment. The bird takes this chance to speak. “So. What use is this one?” She looks down at Jasmine as she applies another coat of suntan lotion, speaking to you. ||
[2018-07-17 17:58:58] <Olive|Quint> He'd known that she hadn't had friends before, so he's not surprised that she saw people as tools. Well, a bit surprised that she even recognized that people could have use.
[2018-07-17 18:00:18] <Olive|Quint> "Friends don't always need to have use- Uh." He shoots a quick embarrassed look at Jasmine. "She kept people away from our fight, I mentioned her." ||
[2018-07-17 18:02:48] <Olive|Quint> (( JASMINE IS USELESS))
[2018-07-17 18:02:48] <Olive|Quint> ((It's going to be a bit hard for me to get into the shoes of someone who doesn't  try to dissect everything))
[2018-07-17 18:02:48] <Olive|Quint> (('Friends are like... they're friends!'))
[2018-07-17 18:04:09] <TWDuke|GM> “Hmph.” Riptide clacks her beak, a dismissive sound. Jasmine doesn’t seem to mind.
[2018-07-17 18:05:46] <TWDuke|GM> “You’re real pretty, birdy. So smooth. Aren’t you a nice birdy?” She giggles to herself, something apparently hilarious.
[2018-07-17 18:07:31] <TWDuke|GM> Riptide only grips your shoulder even tighter. Finally, Clay comes racing down the hill, board under one arm, shirtless. You can really appreciate the work of art that is his body - he’s skinnier than you, with his ribs showing through the skin, but not an inch is wasted as either ink or careful use of negative space. ||
[2018-07-17 18:13:35] <Olive|Quint> Quint takes a worried glance at Riptide. The atmosphere has gotten colder. No use warning Jasmine when she was like this.
[2018-07-17 18:17:00] <Olive|Quint> And it wasn't like Riptide would attack her, he'd been pretty clear about playing nice with his friends. Still, it'd be a good idea to join Clay. Quint takes off his own shirt, displaying his own tattoos in the light of day. Some were chosen and some were won. ||
[2018-07-17 18:19:47] <TWDuke|GM> Riptide alights from your shoulder with a great beating of wings as you pull your shirt over your head. Clay takes the opportunity to slap you over the back of the head as he runs past, cackling as he sprints down towards the water. Riptide flies overhead in a lazy arc, and you think you can make out a hint of a smile in the one golden eye locked on your position. ||
[2018-07-17 18:23:53] <Olive|Quint> There's a certain amount of attention paid to Quint, especially from parents and kids. The scars and tattoos definitely made him more interesting, if also R-rated.
[2018-07-17 18:26:04] <Olive|Quint> He mimes picking up his surfboard from under Jas' towel, while actually pulling it out of a scar.
[2018-07-17 18:26:29] <Olive|Quint> No blatant magic in front of innocents. Had to obscure it.
[2018-07-17 18:27:49] <Olive|Quint> Quint then runs down after Clay and into the surf. ||
[2018-07-17 18:29:05] <TWDuke|GM> A gaggle of highschool girls laugh and point as you sprint past, their voices drowned out by the crash of waves as you dive into the water.
[2018-07-17 18:30:40] <TWDuke|GM> The splash of cold and salt on your face instantly hits you with flashes of memory - dark nights of blood and thrashing. Teeth glinting, sky and sea tumbling over and over. The blare of sirens, being wheeled through long white corridors, the beep of machines.
[2018-07-17 18:31:33] <TWDuke|GM> The moment passes, and you force yourself to stop, and breathe, and remember where you are. The sun shining down on the water is beautiful, you can hear children laughing. Back up the beach, Jasmine offers you a little reassuring wave.
[2018-07-17 18:32:09] <TWDuke|GM> You watch as Riptide finishes one long circular arc in the air, then dives, plummeting below the surface of the water. She doesn't emerge again. ||
[2018-07-17 18:36:29] <Olive|Quint> Making friends with enemies sounded much better when he wasn't in the same sea as her. He fought off the shivers as he did the urge to resist the tides pulling him out, out where he'd never be seen again.
[2018-07-17 18:38:22] → Ryneron joined (uid277227@ealing.irccloud.com)
[2018-07-17 18:40:32] <Olive|Quint> Riptide was connected to him now, and he to her. They were friends now,  and life would be better than it had been before. He believed it.
[2018-07-17 18:41:15] <Olive|Quint> The sea in his soul would ensure it.
[2018-07-17 18:41:17] <Olive|Quint> Quint cuts through the waves far faster than he had ever before, he barely even feels the need to breathe. He'd always been an athlete, but his muscles were operating like someone had taken his best day as a baseline for a swimming machine.
[2018-07-17 18:42:13] <Olive|Quint> Even with the board in his hands, he felt like he was flying. ||
[2018-07-17 18:46:04] <TWDuke|GM> Despite his head-start, Clay is left literally in your wake as you power past him. You manage to catch his "Woah" over the sound of your own arms churning through the water.
[2018-07-17 18:46:04] <TWDuke|GM> Before long, you're out in the thick of the waves. A dark shape moves below the water, not directly beneath you but nearby. Your connection tells you exactly who it is... but also that she's tethered to you, that she is your Familiar now. ||
[2018-07-17 18:46:19] <TWDuke|GM> ((Can I get you to roll Athletics, with a +1 for being in water?))
[2018-07-17 18:47:10] <Olive|Quint> $roll 1d6+2
[2018-07-17 18:47:10] <[ATM]> Olive|Quint [2] +2 = 4
[2018-07-17 18:50:28] <TWDuke|GM> ((Actually, you can take your Acrobatics bonus))
[2018-07-17 18:52:04] <Olive|Quint> $roll 2h6+2 Surfing God
[2018-07-17 18:52:04] <[ATM]> Olive|Quint "Surfing God" (3) [6] +2 = 8
[2018-07-17 18:52:36] <TWDuke|GM> ((That's better. Feel free to describe how you completely tear up the wave))
[2018-07-17 19:01:38] <Olive|Quint> Quint goes immediately up the wave as quickly as possible, tearing wavelets out of the mother wave,  reaching high and keeping his balance as it tries to unseat him. Cutting low, reversing direction, and zooming out of the collapsing wave as it nears the shore.||
[2018-07-17 19:01:38] <Olive|Quint> ((I know nothing about surfing help))
[2018-07-17 19:02:45] <TWDuke|GM> ((Haha, all good))
[2018-07-17 19:03:51] <TWDuke|GM> You hear Clay clapping and hollering as he watches you absolutely dominate the wave. As you close in on the shore, the same pack of highschool girls offer a cheer.
[2018-07-17 19:04:02] <TWDuke|GM> $roll 1d6+1 Clay Surfing
[2018-07-17 19:04:02] <[ATM]> TWDuke|GM "Clay Surfing" [3] +1 = 4
[2018-07-17 19:04:53] <TWDuke|GM> Clay catches the wave behind your own. He rides it full and well, though with none of the flair you demonstrated. He catches up to you in the shallows, and offers you a high-five with a shout of, "That was sick, man!" ||
[2018-07-17 19:19:18] <Olive|Quint> He claps Clay's hand with his own and says, "Thanks! I'm feeling really good today." He waves at his admiring audience, bows with a flourish and a huge grin.
[2018-07-17 19:19:18] <Olive|Quint> He heads back out to catch another wave.
[2018-07-17 19:19:18] <Olive|Quint> This one he'd try to hang upside down on, then ride his way back to shore on the tiny wavelets that remain.
[2018-07-17 19:20:31] <Olive|Quint> Generally a tough prospect that required very quick response times as the waves would break and reform as he hopped from one to the the next, but he had a feeling he could do it today.||
[2018-07-17 19:21:13] <TWDuke|GM> "Hey, wait up!"
[2018-07-17 19:22:05] <TWDuke|GM> Angelique's voice carries well over the crash of the surf. You need to wait up so she can catch up to you. Clay's not far behind.
[2018-07-17 19:23:17] <TWDuke|GM> She paddles up until she can pat you on the shoulder - the closest she can reasonably get to a hug while you've both got boards. "You survived! ||
[2018-07-17 19:26:22] <Olive|Quint> Quint happily accepts and reciprocates the half-hug. "It was a tough fight, but I-" suckered her into the circle? No, not where she could overhear, "-managed to contract with her." ||
[2018-07-17 19:31:10] <TWDuke|GM> She nods. "Contract, eh? New tat?"
[2018-07-17 19:31:10] <TWDuke|GM> Clay remains silent. A dark shadow passes under the water where you can see, but the others can't.||
[2018-07-17 19:31:52] <Olive|Quint> ...Fuck. "Familiar."||
[2018-07-17 19:35:02] <TWDuke|GM> Angelique's smile falters. It's not a look of fear, or even condemnation... perhaps pity?
[2018-07-17 19:35:02] <TWDuke|GM> "Let's grab this one, talk when we've got our feet under us?" Clay nods towards a substantial wave closing in on you. He starts lining himself up. ||
[2018-07-17 19:35:13] <TWDuke|GM> ((Assuming you'll catch it, roll Acrobatics +1))
[2018-07-17 19:35:52] <Olive|Quint> $roll 2h6+1 Hopping
[2018-07-17 19:35:52] <[ATM]> Olive|Quint "Hopping" (5) [6] +1 = 7
[2018-07-17 19:36:01] <Olive|Quint> ((+2))
[2018-07-17 19:36:19] <TWDuke|GM> ((Sure, take the 8, ride that wave in))
[2018-07-17 19:41:02] <Olive|Quint> Quint sticks the entry, using the rising wave to haul him up. Better show off than worry about uncomfortable conversations, so he follows the arch until he's almost upside down, only the momentum keeping him stuck to the board until he wedges the board deep into the wave and dangles off it with one arm.
[2018-07-17 19:42:25] <Olive|Quint> Hanging for a moment, then twisting back onto it, he checks over his shoulder for his friends. ||
[2018-07-17 19:43:26] <TWDuke|GM> $roll 2h6+2 Dun Dun
[2018-07-17 19:43:26] <[ATM]> TWDuke|GM "Dun Dun" (3) [4] +2 = 6
[2018-07-17 19:43:51] <TWDuke|GM> $roll 2h6+1 Waves Guide Me
[2018-07-17 19:43:51] <[ATM]> TWDuke|GM "Waves Guide Me" [5] (1) +1 = 6
[2018-07-17 19:44:34] <Olive|Quint> ((hahaha, oh boy, I didn't remember to introduce Angel.))
[2018-07-17 19:44:58] <TWDuke|GM> Angelique rises up the wall of water. She's always so graceful, so fluid of motion, no matter her environment. The waves are her home.
[2018-07-17 19:45:57] <TWDuke|GM> A dark shape rises up into the wave itself. A flash of teeth, a gleam of eye, and there's a sudden motion. Angelique's board flicks out from underneath her, and she disappear as the wave crashes down above her.
[2018-07-17 19:46:25] <TWDuke|GM> Clay's already racing down the wave, in the opposite direction. He hasn't even noticed. ||
[2018-07-17 19:49:44] <Olive|Quint> No. No! This wasn't happening, "Riptide, no!" He'd forgotten to claim Angel as his friend, so Riptide wasn't bound to leave her alone. And Angel was a practitioner, she didn't have the same protections innocents had,  she didn't need to lose sight of shore to become a legitimate target! "She's my friend, Riptide!" He reaches out across their connection, flailing, hoping to stop her in time. He dives, abandoning his board.||
[2018-07-17 19:52:07] <TWDuke|GM> Your voice is lost among the waves, and as you dive down you're plunged into a world of silence. Eyes wide open (with no sting of salt, though you don't pay it much thought), you search the churning depths for any sign life.
[2018-07-17 19:54:17] <TWDuke|GM> You find them, locked together. Riptide is in her full goblin form, naked body pressed up against Angelique's one-piece bathing suit. Powerful claws have her legs pinned, leaving her arms free. Long blonde hair floats free in the water in golden sheets. Eyes wild with panic, she moves her arms in great sweeping motions, hands twisted into strange shapes.
[2018-07-17 19:55:30] <TWDuke|GM> A pulse of aqua light sweeps through you, and you feel the water shift. An intense pulse pushes back against Riptide, sending her reeling.
[2018-07-17 19:56:25] <TWDuke|GM> Her grip is sound. When the tumbling is over, she still has Angelique in her grip. As her hideously broad mouth grins wide, you make the connection as Angelique does - she was given her arms on purpose, to prove there was nothing she could do.
[2018-07-17 19:57:36] <TWDuke|GM> Finally, Riptide's eyes flick over to you. Her jaws widen just a crack, revealing rows more of razor-sharp teeth. She holds her captive close to her, and raises one eyebrow just a fraction - a hesitation, and a question. ||
[2018-07-17 19:58:17] <Olive|Quint> He shakes his head no, waves frantically. She wasn't even hungry, he was bound to give her sustenance for as long as she was his. Why was she even doing this?
[2018-07-17 20:00:25] <Olive|Quint> He zooms closer to them, quickly as he could.  He couldn't punch her, couldn't harm his familiar, they were bound to each other's protection. He'd have to try to interpose himself between them, hoping that Rip would let Ange go before she'd drown, hoping that he could communicate fast enough, well enough.
[2018-07-17 20:00:54] <Olive|Quint> ||
[2018-07-17 20:03:41] <TWDuke|GM> With a shrug of her shoulders that ripples down her spine all the way to her tail, Riptide releases Angelique from her grip. She practically shoves her in your direction... and echoing through the quiet of the water comes her wicked, ringing laugh. She surges for the surface and disappears from sight.
[2018-07-17 20:03:41] <TWDuke|GM> Angelique kicks against the water, hard, righting herself and pushing towards the surface. ||
[2018-07-17 20:04:41] <Olive|Quint> Thank the spirits. Fuck the spirits. What was he going to do?
[2018-07-17 20:06:01] <Olive|Quint> Relief and horror crash into him intermittently. This was an awful idea, he should have just bound her, he should have just let her die. She was going to kill someone, and it would be his fault.
[2018-07-17 20:06:23] <Olive|Quint> Ange was still alive...
[2018-07-17 20:07:06] <Olive|Quint> He almost wanted to stay down here, letting the waves gently buffet him around.
[2018-07-17 20:07:47] <Olive|Quint> So he did. ||
[2018-07-17 20:09:12] <TWDuke|GM> The world below is peaceful, without the violence of moments ago. You watch as the sand swirls in great rolls, mirroring the froth above. Down here, the light is a beautiful soft shimmer.
[2018-07-17 20:10:11] <TWDuke|GM> There are things here, embedded in the sand. Mostly driftwood, bottles weighted down by sand and rocks. You spot what might be a toy boat, before it's swallowed by the sands and vanishes.
[2018-07-17 20:11:10] <TWDuke|GM> Down here, you have all the time in the world. ||
[2018-07-17 20:15:49] <Olive|Quint> Quint idly picks up one of the bottles and stores it. He knows it could be useful for practice, which brings to mind things he doesn't want to think of right now.
[2018-07-17 20:16:52] <Olive|Quint> He sighs, blinking away a piece of greenery which brushes against his eye. Time to return. ||
[2018-07-17 20:18:43] <TWDuke|GM> The world of the surface is much as you left it. You take a deep breath, noticing how you long you stayed below without having to breathe at all.
[2018-07-17 20:18:43] <TWDuke|GM> Back on shore, you can just spot Clay, Jasmine and Ange standing together, wrapped in towels. ||
[2018-07-17 20:21:18] <Olive|Quint> Quint trudges towards them, feeling heavy, like his head won't stay up, like his feet sink deep into sand, like a stormcloud pressing down on him. Like an eagle on his shoulder.
[2018-07-17 20:23:20] <Olive|Quint> "I am so sorry, Ange. I didn't think she would do that." The looks he gets feel judgmental, and he definitely deserves it. "Are you okay?" ||
[2018-07-17 20:26:14] <TWDuke|GM> As she glances up at you, there's a hot puff of wind. The sand lashes against your ankles, stinging. Ange catches herself, takes a breath, and answers. "I'm fine, Quint. She didn't hurt me."
[2018-07-17 20:26:14] <TWDuke|GM> On queue, the great white seabird lands on a nearby beach umbrella. She looms, watching the four of you with one golden eye. ||
[2018-07-17 20:31:23] <Olive|Quint> He swallows thickly. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He looks up at the perched shark. She would only ever be a shark. "This is my friend, Ange. Don't hurt her. Don't hurt anyone else, please. You don't have to feed as long as I'm here."  ||
[2018-07-17 20:34:30] <TWDuke|GM> The voice that emerges from the beak is clear, and feminine, and speaks directly to the animal part of your brainstem that tells you that you should be running.
[2018-07-17 20:34:30] <TWDuke|GM> "I know the blonde one is your friend. She was there, last night. She left quickly." Riptide tilts her head, looking at you with her other eye. "That wasn't feeding. That was friendly - like when the inkstained one struck you. Play." ||
[2018-07-17 20:34:37] <TWDuke|GM> -||
[2018-07-17 20:35:15] <TWDuke|GM> Angelique pulls her towel tighter around her, Jasmine rubbing her shoulders. Clay scowls, and looks down at his feet. ||
[2018-07-17 20:36:50] <Olive|Quint> "That wasn't friendly! You terrified her!" Her fault, not his, not his. ||
[2018-07-17 20:39:11] <TWDuke|GM> "I... she didn't..." Angelique cuts herself off.
[2018-07-17 20:39:11] <TWDuke|GM> Riptide narrows her eyes, flicking back to the other side. "I see. I misinterpreted. I apologise." ||
[2018-07-17 20:41:21] <Olive|Quint> He doesn't know what to do. He needs to go. Leave. This wasn't how it was meant to be!
[2018-07-17 20:42:54] <Olive|Quint> He turns to leave, he can't bear to stay. Someone would get his board for him, and if they didn't, at least it would be free in the sea, away from everyone, floating past the endless sands.
[2018-07-17 20:43:21] <Olive|Quint> Unlike himself. He'd never be free again. ||
[2018-07-17 20:44:46] <TWDuke|GM> Jasmine mutters something, but you're too out of it to catch what she says. You watch as Clay grabs his bag and takes Ange by the shoulders, leading her back towards where her gear is stored.
[2018-07-17 20:45:32] <TWDuke|GM> Jasmine stays, resolute. She looks at Riptide through her dark glasses. "Not such a nice birdy, are you? Still pretty though." ||
[2018-07-17 20:48:31] <Olive|Quint> That was one of the things that had given him false hope. She'd been pretty. Unlike other goblins, her ugliness was limited to scars and violence. Even now, she was beautiful as a bird.
[2018-07-17 20:50:09] <Olive|Quint> Goblins changed, it was in their bailiwick, their spiritual makeup. They changed form, their magic differed from one to another, they evolved. He could only hope that she could change too.
[2018-07-17 20:50:29] <Olive|Quint> He could only hope that she /would/.
[2018-07-17 20:53:05] <Olive|Quint> "Please don't interact with people for ten minutes, okay, Rip? I'll come be with you then. Enjoy your  new wings, flying is great." Turning away from her, he sits down next to Jaz, now looming over him.
[2018-07-17 20:53:14] <Olive|Quint> "What do I do, Jaz?" ||
[2018-07-17 20:57:18] <TWDuke|GM> Jasmine slumps down in the sand beside you as Riptide takes to the skies. She rocks to the side, resting her head on your shoulder.
[2018-07-17 21:00:05] <TWDuke|GM> "That's on you, Q. Excellent weather coming up in New Zealand, if you're looking for a change." She descends into another giggling fit. ||
[2018-07-17 21:03:47] <Olive|Quint> He laughs despite himself. "That's not-" funny, he aborts. It actually was pretty funny.  He just lets the sentence fragment trail off and leaves it to his head bonking onto hers to convey his reaction. ||
[2018-07-17 21:08:27] <TWDuke|GM> She regains composure, eventually. "If you're thinking of sticking around in Anyport, and you're bringing pretty birdy with you, then you need to work out what you've got going for you. Because trust me, with Venus where it is at the moment, well-wishes isn't going to cut it."
[2018-07-17 21:08:27] <TWDuke|GM> She separates herself from you, and pulls down her glasses so she can look into your eyes. To your surprise, there's no sign at all of her getting high. "What can you do together with her, that you couldn't do alone?" ||
[2018-07-17 21:14:46] <Olive|Quint> Blood drips in the back of his mind as he answers. He'd known what she was. He'd known and hadn't accepted it. She was a monster. "Fight."
[2018-07-17 21:15:32] <Olive|Quint> He stares and remembers her circling him, remembers her coming up from underneath him. Remembers the terror of being at her tooth-ringed mercy.
[2018-07-17 21:16:38] <Olive|Quint> "She's strong, and I can be strong with her. We can make up for it, make this worth it."
[2018-07-17 21:17:27] <Olive|Quint> "I can keep people safe," he pleads.||
[2018-07-17 21:22:50] <TWDuke|GM> She nods. "That's good. That's more good than the rest of us do." She looks over her shoulder, back towards where Clay and Angelique went. "I love these guys to bits, but... we've never really done much of anything. All this magic, this deep understanding..."
[2018-07-17 21:22:50] <TWDuke|GM> She looks back to you. "It's better than the rest of the witches and wizards, with their scheming and their squabbling. But actually helping people... that's Good. Like, capital-G Good." ||
[2018-07-17 21:26:53] <Olive|Quint> Absolution. The weight doesn't feel as oppressive anymore. He can breathe again, can face Ange again. Talk to Riptide.
[2018-07-17 21:28:18] <Olive|Quint> He runs his fingers through his wet hair hanging limp and tangled over his shoulder.
[2018-07-17 21:30:10] <Olive|Quint> "Got any suggestions from Venus on who to go after, Jaz?" He cracks his neck, twisting to one side, then the other. Limbering up. ||
[2018-07-17 21:33:36] <TWDuke|GM> She looks up into the clear blue sky, raising her shades again. She moves her head as though tracking the stars. "Hmmm. I don't look at things on that micro-level. But if you're looking for a target, I'd say you'd be looking to lean on yourself... or maybe someone who's not you, but like you? Yeah, that." She looks back at you and nods, confident. ||
[2018-07-17 21:34:52] <Olive|Quint> "..."
[2018-07-17 21:35:26] <Olive|Quint> He should have expected that.
[2018-07-17 21:35:44] <Olive|Quint> "Thanks, Jaz."
[2018-07-17 21:36:11] <Olive|Quint> This was a good conversation. Meaningful.
[2018-07-17 21:36:34] <Olive|Quint> He sighs. But the ten minutes were up. ||
[2018-07-17 21:40:09] <TWDuke|GM> "You're welcome!" Jasmine turns over and lies back down, exposing her back to even out her tan.
[2018-07-17 21:40:09] <TWDuke|GM> Riptide has not returned. ||
[2018-07-17 21:44:29] <Olive|Quint> He opens his third eye and looks for his connections, expecting to see his friends, his surfboard, and most powerfully of all, his familiar. ||
[2018-07-17 21:46:43] <TWDuke|GM> His connection to Jasmine is there, and another stretches out towards Clay, or Angelique, or maybe both. Another points the other way down the beach - burning bright and strong. Riptide is that way. You can't seem to sense your connection to your board. ||
[2018-07-17 21:49:11] <Olive|Quint> He starts starts following the pattern to Riptide. He hadn't promised to be with her now, he'd promised to come to her. Idly, he pulls out Garglenut and shoots into the waves as he walks.
[2018-07-17 21:53:25] <Olive|Quint> It was a shame that he couldn't find the board. It was a good one, served him well. Plink. Worth Ange's life. Even if she wasn't in danger, he had thought she was. Plop. Couldn't blame himself for that. Bloop. Could blame himself for not looking for it immediately, but well, he wasn't going to.
[2018-07-17 21:53:50] <Olive|Quint> A nut skims across the water. ||
[2018-07-17 21:56:03] <TWDuke|GM> As the crowd thins, further from the flags, the lovely soft sand underfoot is broken up occasionally by stony rockpools. Once the people are out of sight, you see why you couldn't find your board - it's connection was hidden by Riptide's. The great white bird is perched on the board, which stands proud and tall out of the sand, undamaged. ||
[2018-07-17 22:02:43] <Olive|Quint> Oh. That's kinder than he thought she was capable of, or capable of understanding. That... He almost fights the hope that suffuses him.
[2018-07-17 22:03:20] <Olive|Quint> ((No. Change that to 'He can't fight the hope that suffuses him.'))
[2018-07-17 22:04:49] <Olive|Quint> "Thanks, Riptide. I thought I might never see my board again." He breaks the eye connection with her, then looks back up. "Do you want to talk about anything now that we're alone?" ||
[2018-07-17 22:05:04] <Olive|Quint> ((nix 'the'))
[2018-07-17 22:07:16] <TWDuke|GM> She remains in raptor form, talons clamped onto the surfboard. "I wished to apologise. I found this for you." ||
[2018-07-17 22:11:20] <Olive|Quint> "It was terrifying. I thought I'd lose my friend because I didn't tell you to not kill whoever you felt like killing. I thought I'd have to be alone with you for the rest of my life to keep you from making me an accomplice to murder. Another murder."
[2018-07-17 22:12:04] <Olive|Quint> He doesn't break his gaze this time. He's weaker than her, and he knows it. But he'll own it.||
[2018-07-17 22:17:18] <TWDuke|GM> She lowers her head slightly, beady black eyes blinking slowly. "Your fear doesn't nourish me any longer. Causing you fear weakens you, and weakens me by extension. That was not my intention."
[2018-07-17 22:17:18] <TWDuke|GM> She clacks her beak. This time, it seems more like frustration than derision. Perhaps frustration with herself. "I understand that you do not wish for me to kill humans who do not pose you harm. Would it please you for me to swear that I will not?" ||
[2018-07-17 22:22:56] <Olive|Quint> "Could you upgrade that 'kill' to 'harm'? I don't want you mauling people who don't deserve it. That would take a huge amount of worry off my mind." ||
[2018-07-17 22:23:25] <Olive|Quint> ((wait wait wait cancel abort abort abort))
[2018-07-17 22:24:01] <Olive|Quint> ((stick an 'assent' in there. I can think of a reason I'd want her to maul someone who didn't pose me, personally, any harm.))
[2018-07-17 22:25:50] <Olive|Quint> ((We can play with wording later))||
[2018-07-17 22:27:41] <TWDuke|GM> She flicks her tail feathers. "Harm is too broad. I do not wish to break an oath by splashing salt water in someone's eye. But I could agree not to injure." ||
[2018-07-17 22:30:22] <Olive|Quint> "Fair enough. And I'll likewise swear to teach you to play so others will want to come back." ||
[2018-07-17 22:33:19] <TWDuke|GM> That confuses her, for a time. She tilts her head back and forth, examining you with both eyes. "Yes. Play. This seems good. Let it be so."
[2018-07-17 22:33:19] <TWDuke|GM> As she speaks, a figure appears beyond her, and the board. A bald, pale head, shadowed by a bright yellow beach umbrella. Ivo le Brocq is walking quite slowly up the beach towards you. ||
[2018-07-17 22:34:57] <Olive|Quint> Uh... Quint didn't have a suitable gift for Ivo yet. He might be able to make something out of the sea bottle he'd made, but it was only the day after.
[2018-07-17 22:36:59] <Olive|Quint> "That's Ivo," he tells her. "He's the lighthouse keeper. Helped me out yesterday, gave me the fire I used to bind you." He hoped this wasn't a touchy subject. "I like him." ||
[2018-07-17 22:38:40] <TWDuke|GM> Riptide makes a slow blink, whatever that means. "Indeed. I know the lighthouse."
[2018-07-17 22:39:18] <TWDuke|GM> Ivo finally spots you, and makes a friendly gesture with his umbrella. At his pace, it's an awkwardly long time before he finally catches up to you.
[2018-07-17 22:41:10] <TWDuke|GM> "Ah, the Goblin fellow! Just who I was looking for! I take it, by the look of this fine creature, that your binding went quite well?" With pink-rimmed eyes in an ivory-white face, he peers at your eagle. You notice he keeps a respectful distance from her. ||
[2018-07-17 22:44:34] <Olive|Quint> It's always a relief when people don't shy away from them in fear. He was worried that Ivo might turn around, might be mad at what he'd done with his gift.
[2018-07-17 22:46:22] <Olive|Quint> "The binding worked almost perfectly, thank you. I had not been careful enough to make sure that the circle would hold, but the flame you gave me made the difference.
[2018-07-17 22:47:11] <Olive|Quint> "As you can see, I'm now partners with Riptide."||
[2018-07-17 22:50:38] <TWDuke|GM> He nods. "Indeed. I would warn you to watch the company you keep, but... well, it's a little trite anyway, especially coming from a man who lives alone in a lighthouse." He sighs, then turns back to you.
[2018-07-17 22:50:38] <TWDuke|GM> "Actually, I was hoping I might ask you for a favour. Or indeed, perhaps that other 'fixer' in town. You know, the handyman. I understand that you two have some kind of arrangement?"||
[2018-07-17 22:51:53] <Olive|Quint> "Sure, we tend to cooperate. What can I- or he- help you with?"||
[2018-07-17 22:56:37] <TWDuke|GM> He rubs one hand across his scalp, face screwed up in thought. "Well, you see... Normally, I try to tend to the town's ghosts. I'm sure someone's explained to you how people can find their way back to Anyport easier than to other places? Well, unfortunately, that includes the dead." He says it with a genuine sadness, incongruous for such a bright day and such a bright umbrella. He shakes himself free of it.
[2018-07-17 22:56:37] <TWDuke|GM> "It just so happens that there's a particular incident that I feel might benefit from being in someone else's hands. I can give you the details, and you can pass them on to your friend... unless you feel like doing a little ghost-hunting yourself?" He turns those slightly diseased-looking eyes on you, and you suddenly feel as though you're on trial. ||
[2018-07-17 22:59:15] <Olive|Quint> Ghost hunting, ghost hunting, ghost hunting, ghost hunting... Quint didn't think he had anything that worked on ghosts.
[2018-07-17 23:01:05] <Olive|Quint> "Uh, salt and pure stuff? Not that I mind, I'm sure you deserve a break, but why can't you do it?" What's different about this one, he means.||
[2018-07-17 23:04:21] <TWDuke|GM> He lets out a little chuckle at 'salt and pure stuff', but doesn't comment.
[2018-07-17 23:04:21] <TWDuke|GM> He runs his thumb over the knuckles grasping the umbrella. "It's... a little close to home. I know the individuals involved personally." ||
[2018-07-17 23:06:16] <Olive|Quint> "Oh. Ohhh. I'm sorry. Yeah, sure, one of us can help take care of this for you. You want them laid to rest, yeah?"||
[2018-07-17 23:06:35] <Olive|Quint> ((Quint doesn't know the difference between a soul and a ghost.))||
[2018-07-17 23:07:23] → Druza joined (uid209687@stonehaven.irccloud.com)
[2018-07-17 23:08:04] <TWDuke|GM> His mouth skews, slightly. "More or less, yes." ||
[2018-07-17 23:13:44] <Olive|Quint> "If you've got some tips for me, I can take care of it, otherwise I'll have to call in Jezza." He thinks a moment. "Actually, while I'd appreciate the benefit of your experience, Jezza could probably give me the info I need. He knows everything. Uh. Metaphorically. Colloquially." ||
[2018-07-17 23:15:13] <TWDuke|GM> Ivo plants the umbrella firmly in the sand, and rubs his hands together. "All right. Let's get down to business then."
[2018-07-17 23:15:16] <TWDuke|GM> ||||