| abstract
| - Kel: So, the research. The two of them managed to find two separate mentions of similar books: one from just over a decade ago, one from fifty or so years ago. The fifty-ish year old one isn't too informative, just hints at the existence of a similar book that let the owners control people around them. The one from ten or so years ago is a bit more detailed, sounding quite certainly the same thing as the book, only letting the owners control luck. That book and its owners seem to have disappeared in the attack that destroyed the previous freehold. Kel: Between the two sources, they're able to get a pretty thorough list of eleven previous owners, six from the first group and five from the second. One of the people from the second seems to have been doing some research into the nature of the book... too bad that his current location is unknown. Marlin: Marlin pointedly stays away from reading things and researching. Valt: Valt creeps into the common room, her arms full of books and papers that all seem to want to leap onto the floor. Fyre: Fyre is... uh. Relaxing after looking for that farking tricky fetch or something. Marlin: Marlin is watching everyone else creepily. Jessie: Jessie is, currently, in her room. Doc Swiftly: Doc, on the other hand, turns the page of another history book. This one seems to be concentrating on the 30s-60s. He's in for a shock when he reaches the late 30s in Europe. Doc Swiftly: He is, incidentally, in the Library. Surprising, but there you go. Valt: Upon finding that no one is actually there to see what a good job she's done, Valt sits down in a comfy chair to look over her notes. Fyre: Fyre saunters into the common room. Marlin: Marlin is wandering around aimlessly, trying to stay out of rooms with books in them. He enters the common room and then sees the books being brought in, and exits the common room. Valt: Valt peeks up over the edge of a book and waves at Fyre. "Hi." Fyre: Yays, interaction! "Hey, Valt. How's the research going?" Valt: "All done! See?" She holds up the heap of crap like a proud child. Doc Swiftly: Doc decides to head to the common room. While reading. He heads from the library in that general direction. Marlin: Marlin bumps into Doc, as he's not looking where he's going. Marlin: "..." Fyre: Curious peer. "Anything jump out at you as... er, interesting? I mean, like references to soul eating and stuff. I wouldn't like my soul eaten." Doc Swiftly: Doc nearly drops his book, then glances up. Shockingly, Doc is NOT dressed in a suit today, incidentally. He's in jeans and a black T-shirt, which..Seems to be glittering. There's writing blocked by the book. "Oh. Pardon me, Marlin." Valt: "Not... really. There don't seem to be any really bad things." She licks a stained fingertip and turns a page, showing it to Fyre. Jessie: Jessie finally exits her room. She seems to have acquired a fleece cap, which she's attempted to hide her head-tentacles under. She walks into the common room. Doc Swiftly: "I was just heading for the common room. Care to join me?" Valt: Jessie gets a big smile from Valt. Creepy, or cute, depending on how you feel about her. Jessie: 'Er. Hello, Valt.' Jessie tries to look friendly while trying to make sure the Curious Book of Doom is not among those in the pile. Marlin: Marlin's wearing clothing that, at a glance, one might mistake for swimtrunks and the top half of a short-sleeved wetsuit- but they're just baggy shorts and a somewhat tight t-shirt. A shiny one. Oooh shiny. "...ah..." He hesitates, then shrugs. Valt: "I found things. No thanks to Swiftlyyyyyyyyyy." Huff. Doc Swiftly: Pause. Doc stares at Marlin for a second, then seems to take that as a "Yes" and heads for the common room. Fyre: Fyre suppresses her amusement. And peers at the page. "Information is always good." Jessie: 'What sort of information did you, ah, find?' Marlin: Marlin follows, mostly staring at the ground. Fyre: ... Doc Swiftly: Doc enters the common room, nose-deep in his history book. He stops. "They attacked Hawaii?!" Doc Swiftly: Pause. "Hawaii is a state?" Valt: "Nobody died horribly. And some people used them a lot. The books, I mean." Marlin: Marlin is sulking and trying to be invisible, which he is not very good at. He's not even transparent or anything. Doc Swiftly: At the mention of "books", Doc looks up at Valt. "Ah, I see the reference thief is here." Jessie: 'I thought you were, er, researching the book too, Doc. Not, uhm, more history.' Jessie looks at Doc and Marlin Doc Swiftly: "Well, I was, but strange thing..My piles kept shrinking." Valt: "I see the unhelpful jerk finally showed up!" Fyre: Fyre barks out a laugh. "Your... piles... shrinking..." Doc Swiftly: Doc closes his book with a loud snap, finally revealing what is written on his somewhat glittery shirt. It is..Oh god. "Do I Dazzle You?" Doc Swiftly: Who is GIVING Doc these shirts?! Jessie: Jessie tries and fails to not giggle madly. Fyre: ...Fyre holds her composition remarkably well. She only doubles over laughing, as opposed to falling on the floor and suffocating. Valt: Valt stares blankly at the writing on the shirt. "...no." Marlin: Marlin blinks a bit and sits down. His face gets all scrunchy at the shirt. Doc Swiftly: Doc sighs. "What's wrong with this shirt?" Valt: "It's a silly question." Fyre: Fyre wipes tears of laughter from her eyes. "Oh god. It's a Twilight shirt. The book about a soccer mom's wet dream, targeted to teenagers." Jessie: 'Its.. uhm. The words.. and the glitter.. maybe you should just stick to plain shirts?' Doc Swiftly: Doc sighs. "I don't even know what most of that meant, and I'm still annoyed." Fyre: "It means that a middle-aged woman had a sexy dream, and she wrote a series of books about it targeted to teenagers." Valt: "...a... what?" Fyre: "It includes an incident where the guy who says THAT actually bites a woman's stomach open to deliver her spine-breaking cannibalistic vampire fetus." Fyre: Fyre, having recovered, is completely deadpanning this. Valt: "...I saw that once. In between shelves." Doc Swiftly: Doc leaves. Heading for his room. Jessie: Jessie looks faintly ill as Fyre recites more Twilight info Marlin: Marlin doesn't leave, heading for nowhere. Doc Swiftly: Doc re-enters, dressed in a tweed suit. He's rather fast, you see. He's also carrying the Book of Doom. Fyre: "Much better. Heh. Though thanks, I needed that laugh." Valt: "That's a pretty outfit, Swiftly." Jessie: Jessie squints at the Book Of Doom Marlin: Marlin is made intensely uncomfortable by the book. Valt: Valt reeeeaches for the doombook... Doc Swiftly: "So. As Valt there discovered when she helped herself to my research stacks, these books seem to let people control those around them. Or luck. Depends on whom you speak to." Doc Swiftly: Doc gives Valt a look. Valt: Valt looks back obliviously. Jessie: 'Control?! Erk.' Valt: "I won't write in it." Doc Swiftly: "Somehow, I do not trust you not to tell it to drop a flying machine on my head." Doc Swiftly: "Or tell it that it stinks again." Valt: Valt droops and wraps her arms around her knees. Doc Swiftly: "Or for an ostrich to show up and attack Fyre." Jessie: 'I.. I'm sure we're all.. fine with it. Now that we know.' Jessie says, but her eyes still have that 'AHHHHHHH' look in them Valt: "...she's nice to me." Doc Swiftly: Sigh. "Fine." He hands the Doomnovel to Valt. Valt: Valt smiles her almost-Glasgow smile as she thumbs through the book looking for any extra information it might give about their research. Marlin: "I still don't know why we haven't just gotten rid of it or locked it somewhere." Kel: Oddly enough, paragraph upon paragraph of exposition on their research makes for dry reading material. Jessie: 'We can't get rid of it! What happens if someone ELSE gets a hold of it? ...it could be, er, really bad.' Fyre: "Because we have nowhere to lock it up. And because getting rid of it would mean someone else might be able to find it and fuck with us." Fyre smirks dryly. "BEsides, it might be useful." Jessie: Jessie looks at Fyre '..useful?' Valt: "...blah blah blah... there's... nothing good in here. We should go look for some of the people on the list?" Doc Swiftly: Doc raises an eyebrow. "You found a list?" Valt: Valt produces said list from inside her sleeve. Marlin: "What people?" Fyre: "It can make things happen. It may be touchy to use, and there's obviously restrictions, but... that could be very useful." Valt: "...eleven people who had it before we did." Doc Swiftly: Doc gives Fyre a searching look. "What do you want to do with it?" Fyre: "I'm just saying... Imagine trying to get into a locked door and being able to write that you find a key to the door on the table next to you." She shrugs. "I'm not saying do it for everything. We have to figure out the cost. But you don't see how they could be useful?" Marlin: "It would be easier to just break it down." Fyre: "Yes, That is what we want. We want to damage something that could be TIED TO OUR SOULS." Valt: "The door." Marlin: "...the door." Fyre: Fyre likes her soul mostly intact, thank you. Doc Swiftly: Doc suddenly looks troubled, and stares at the book. He's clearly just thought of something he can do with it. Jessie: Jessie fidgets nervously 'I'd want to know who gave us the book.. and why.. before we, er, mess too much with the book.' Fyre: "That would be loud, though." Valt: Valt hugs the book to her chest and glares at Swiftly. Fyre: "...and I could pick the lock anyway, but it's an example. Doc Swiftly: Doc swallows, staring at the book. The electricity arcing over him gets a bit..Snappier. Valt: "...don't you look at me like that." Marlin: "...Doc?" Jessie: Jessie flinches reflexively at the electricity. Water.. electric.. bad. 'What are you thinking?' Valt: Valt reaches waaay out to lay a hand on Jessie's shoulder. Awh. Doc Swiftly: He shakes himself visibly. "Nothing..Nothing. Sorry. I got lost in my own head for a moment." Fyre: Fyre is a bit distracted, looking listlessly at the page. Jessie: Jessie looks at Valt 'I'm, ah, okay.' She looks at everyone else in turn 'So, uhm. What should we do now?' Valt: "...something." Jessie: Jessie stares at the Book of Doom. Doc Swiftly: Doc holds his hand out for the book. "Please, Valt." Valt: "...you'll just make it smell or drop something on me." Doc Swiftly: "I don't have a track record of doing that." Valt: Valt sighs and hands the book over. Jessie: 'That was kind of.. mean.' Jessie looks at Doc Doc Swiftly: Doc takes the book, flips open to the first empty page, and writes "And then the answer to what their next step should be made itself known to them." Valt: "I tried that the first day we found it." Kel: ... the book laughs at your pitiful writing. Doc Swiftly: "I was hoping extra specificity would work." Valt: Valt scrunches up her nose and lays her hands on her knees. Jessie: 'We shouldn't be asking a book what to do, anyway. Its not even a book from here.' Doc Swiftly: Doc raises an eyebrow at Valt. "Besides, I'm standing in front of you. How do you know what I just wrote?" Fyre: Fyre sighs. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Valt: Valt stands up. She's a good six inches taller than Doc. Marlin: Marlin continues to sit in a chair and wait until things don't involve books. Sit sit sit. Doc Swiftly: "What do you think we should do, Marlin?" Valt: "...we're not accomplishing anything." Marlin: "I think we should find out if the people who wrote these books about the book are still alive." Marlin: "And if so, find them." Doc Swiftly: "Well, this book seems to involve all of us." Doc Swiftly: "Whatever we do, we should do it together." Valt: "...well... all we have is each other, really. And... if we swear to stand by each other... for... as long as we can... and, with... consequences, bad ones, book ones, if we break it... then we'd be safe. Right?" Fyre: "I guess." Jessie: 'Its the formal way.. but.. I think Valt is right.' Jessie looks around at everyone else Doc Swiftly: Doc appears to be trying to parse the disjointed thing that Valt just said. When he gets through it, he nods. "I think that's..Broadly..Correct..As far as I'm aware of it, anyway...But shouldn't it be more..Specific?" Valt: "Specific?" Doc Swiftly: "Consequences beyond 'Bad ones'?" Valt: Valt crosses her arms. "...if it was more specific it would be less scary." Jessie: Jessie looks at Marlin. 'So.. if we all decided to find these people.. or things.. as a group.. would you join us?' Marlin: "I think you would all need me, in case something went wrong. So. Yes." Jessie: '...kay.' Fyre: Fyre sighs a bit, speaking up. "You want a more specific Sanction, Doc. They don't have to be -that- complicated, really..." Fyre: "It's not like we're the first motley around. There's a few ways of doing this already put together." Valt: "...he just wants to say I'm wrong." Doc Swiftly: "You may find this surprising, Valt, but your level of correctness does not dominate my every action." Valt: "See!" Jessie: 'Uhm.. maybe, er, if we're all in this together.. we should be nicer to each other?' Fyre: Facepalm. sigh. Fyre: "So. If we want to do this... There's an established way to do so, if we don't want to get too fancy." Jessie: 'Oh..?' Valt: Valt grumbles! Fyre: "Well, yeah. I mean, we're not the first evar motley or anything." Doc Swiftly: Doc seems a bit perplexed at that pronunciation of ever, but decides it must have been a lingual shift. Jessie: 'What do we, um, pledge?' Valt: "...to not be dumb." Jessie: 'I.. think I can handle that without a pledge, though.' Fyre: "It's... well, a little more than that." Fyre: "It's a pretty solid, heavy pledge, mind you. But... since we're all we've got here... it would be appropriate." Fyre: "All in favor, then?" Valt: "Aye." Doc Swiftly: Doc raises his hand. Doc Swiftly: In an assent-showing way. Fyre: Fyre nods. Fyre: ...And the eyes of the entire group bore into Marlin's soul. Doc Swiftly: O_O Fyre: O_O Marlin: He stares back. "...I already said I was in for whatever." Valt: O____O Jessie: Jessie has actually managed to stop fidgeting! Jessie: 'Yeah.' Fyre: "Okay. Uh, I guess repeat after me." Fyre: "We had our families taken from us, but now we're family, bound by more than blood." Doc Swiftly: "We had our families taken from us, but now we're family, bound by more than blood." Valt: "...we had our families taken from us, but now we're family, bound by more than blood." Jessie: 'We had our families taken from us, but now we're family, bound by more than blood.' With some effort, it comes out minus any muttering Marlin: Marlin repeats too, but with less copy/paste and more typing. Fyre: "I swear to stand by each of you as you swear to stand by me, for a year and a day, and accepting all curses that may fall on me if I lie." Doc Swiftly: "I swear..." Doc repeats. Whee. Valt: Pete and Valt are sitting on a log, and Pete jumps off. Jessie: Jessie repeats the oath after Fyre. Kel: Aaaaaaaand there's that Wyrd tingling again. Now they're bound to each other this time, instead of just a court. It's a bit of a creepy feeling, realizing that you just bound your fate to somebody. Valt: Valt shivers and her hair stands up a bit. Doc Swiftly: Doc flexes his fingers like they've fallen asleep. Jessie: Jessie reaches up and scratches at a hair-tentacle that has managed to escape her cap. Fyre: ...Fyre considers a moment. "Uh. Now that we're... closer than kin and things... I've kinda found some stuff out." Doc Swiftly: "Stuff?" Fyre: "I found the guy who put me into Arcadia. And I found my fetch." Valt: "Stuff?" Valt: "...put you in?" Doc Swiftly: "Someone PUT you into Arcadia?!" Fyre: "...yeah." Fyre looks a tad uncomfortable. "I was... yeah." Marlin: "...and what do you want to do about this?" Jessie: Jessie frowns '..that's.. yes, maybe we should.. uhm. Talk. To this guy. And.. fetch?' Fyre: "I don't know what to do about the guy yet. I mean, someone who throws people into Arcadia is... a threat to everyone. But the fetch..." Fyre's jaw clenches a bit. Valt: "What did it ever do to you?" Jessie: 'What if she's a.. uh.. nice fetch, though? ...some of them are, er, reasonable.' Fyre: Fyre loses her composure just a tiny bit. "She fucking caved in." Her fist is clenched. Doc Swiftly: Doc presses his lips together. "I have a few ideas as to what can be done to him.." Crackle. Crackle. Slight ozone smell. Valt: Valt's brows knit together. "...where are they?" Fyre: "I spent my entire -FUCKING- life trying to be myself, went through HELL and still managed it, and she FUCKING CAVED IN." Her tail lashes. Her face is reddening a bit. Fyre: ...Her tone could be called tense, considering it's coming through clenched teeth. Valt: Valt presses back into her chair, trying to get away from scarylady. Marlin: "So, what do you want to do about it?" Marlin seems impatient at not being told what to do. Jessie: 'Er.' Jessie winces '...how could she know what you were..' Fyre: "She was me. She IS me. She's some fucked up copy of me. Living my life. I was fine with that. But I... I did all the hard work and she fucking caves in to THEM and for what?! Money?!" Deep, cleansing breath. Pause. Continues in a level tone. "I want... to have a discussion with her. Face to face. However, she is liable to know who I am and run or something. She may even be working with that asshole who put me in Arcadia. I... I don't expect for this to be some big operation. I just need backup." Valt: "...I can do that." Marlin: "Is this the sort of discussion where you're going to need someone with a sword?" Marlin seems... hopeful? Sarcastic? Something. Jessie: '...kay. I, er, dunno what help you'll need, but.. I'll help. I'm.. sure you aren't the only one that needs help with.. uhm. Possible replacements.' Fyre: "...I... I don't know. But if he's there, I'm sure it probably will be." Fyre: "Which is what I'm worried about and would really like backup in the event of. I... don't want that to happen again, obviously." Jessie: 'Yeah.' Jessie frowns. 'Just.. try to give the fetch a chance? In case she's not, like, really with the guy or anything.' Marlin: "I'll come." He shifts a bit in his seat, a little less uncomfortable looking now. Fyre: "I am. That's why I hope to have a little discussion with her, alone. But... since he took me there, it's a complete possibility that he brought her back to replace me and... yeah." She shifts a bit. "That would be bad." Valt: "Do we take the book?" Doc Swiftly: "Fyre, you know I'll help you with this." Doc Swiftly: Doc, obviously, said that way back when it would have made sense. Doc Swiftly: Back when his player was possibly hunting a mugger. Jessie: 'So.. where is this fellow and the fetch?' Doc Swiftly: "And..If they're not in Oregon...How are we going to get to them?" Fyre: Fyre whews very softly. "Alright. They're not at the same place. Which is why I'm... uncertain about his involvement. I have her address." Fyre: "....this was kinda my hometown, so..." Doc Swiftly: "What, here? Spring's End?" Fyre: "...yeah." Doc Swiftly: "That's...Convenient. Well. Lead on, Fyre, and we shall follow." Marlin: "I'll need to get my things first." Fyre: "Less convenient if you're trying not to be... you know. Noticed a lot. Luckily, I've got a different hair color..." Jessie: 'No roadtrip then.. kay. Yeah.. we should get, er, ready.' Fyre: "We may." Fyre: "She's living outside of town, so some tripping on roads will be needed, but it's not far off." Doc Swiftly: "Do any of you have access to an auto-mo-bile?" Doc clearly has never heard this word actually pronounced. Fyre: "Heh. Just call it a car, Doc." Doc Swiftly: "Ah. Right." Jessie: '...I had one back in college. But.. kinda not around here.' Jessie frowns. 'Maybe there's a bus line out that way?' Fyre: "...I know my way a bit in the hedge... So we COULD walk..." Doc Swiftly: Doc shivers. Jessie: 'I thought the hedge was mostly off limits right now though?' Fyre: "The big trod is, yeah. But there are other ways in." Jessie: 'Oh...' Marlin: "Whatever's the most direct route is what we should take." Doc Swiftly: The Hedge is many things..Direct is rarely one of them." Jessie: 'And it could be kinda dangerous.. though, uh, there's also things to be found in there.' Fyre: "I don't mind either way. Cab fare won't exactly be cheap, but..." Marlin: "Found?" What? Looking for things? While going somewhere? WHAT MADNESS IS THIS. Fyre: "Going through the hedge has the plus of being free." Jessie: 'If we went in a cab, I do, er, have money. But we would be noticed, maybe.' Fyre: "I... If something goes wrong, getting noticed would really go against us." Doc Swiftly: "Horses are rather noticable.." Valt: Valt raises her hand. "I can find my way around in there." Jessie: '...yeah.' Jessie sighs. Hedge traveling is scary! Fyre: ..."There is also a car cab. And I can find my way around a bit, too. Between the both of us, we should be alright." Valt: Valt gives Fyre a tiny smile. Aw. Doc Swiftly: Doc shrugs. Clearly not wanting to re-enter the Hedge, but not wanting to screw things up for Fyre, either. "I will go with whatever you all decide to do." Valt: Valt makes sure no one is looking before she sticks her tongue out at Doc. Doc Swiftly: Doc studiously ignores Valt. Doc Swiftly: Mostly because he just seems to be watching Fyre. Jessie: 'I don't like it, but.. it probably is the best way. Er. Just.. lets try to not get into trouble in there?' Marlin: "Any issues we run into I'm sure we can easily deal with." Valt: Valt curls and uncurls her fingers, and rolls her shoulders a bit. Fyre: "I... well, I can find us a gate. I know where one or two is. Or we can just use that door. Doc Swiftly: "What door?" Valt: "What - right." Jessie: '...let me get my jacket first. ...and dice.' Fyre: "Any door." Doc Swiftly: Both eyebrows raise. "Any door?" Marlin: "And I need my coat. Since I doubt carrying a sword around visibly would be something people like me doing." Valt: Valt stands up and dons her hood! Jessie: 'That's.. probably a really good idea, yeah.' Jessie runs back to her room to get the aforementioned items Fyre: She shrugs. "Sure." Fyre: Fyre is pretty much ready and waiting. Marlin: Marlin heads off for a moment, returning fairly quickly with a large coat on, his sword somewhere underneath it. ...hot Doc Swiftly: Doc pulls..A book out of his pocket and begins reading. Mountains of Madness Jessie: Jessie comes back, now with a grey hoodie jacket Fyre: "Everybody ready?" Jessie: 'So. Uhm.. should we open the door, then..?' Doc Swiftly: Doc tucks the book into his pocket. Valt: "I was born ready." Doc Swiftly: "You were?" Fyre: Fyre walks up to a door and knocks on it. Valt: "Yes." Doc Swiftly: "Odd thing to be born ready for.." Fyre: ...and opens the door. Kel: With the expenditure of a point of Glamour, the door briefly shimmers in Fyre's sight as it's linked to the Hedge. Niiiiiiiiiice job opening a pathway from the Thorns in the middle of the freehold, by the way. Doc Swiftly: "Um. Fyre. I will be able to use my room again, right?"
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