FE 24.6

Quill, 7:17 PM

So! A day has passed since the Arena thing. It's the next afternoon/evening. Things have been frustratingly quiet since you were invited into.... whatever you were invited into. Kite and Vashti have both been scarce since then.

Ander

turns to Daneel. "So...how long do you think I should wait before I start asking about a rematch?"

7:18 PM

"Like, people died, and I get that...but how do we know who won, otherwise? We can't let these fighters die in vain, right?"

Quill, 7:19 PM

Whisper: I asked. I was told it was 'in bad taste'.

Whisper steps up to the table!

Daneel, 7:20 PM

I mean probably at least wait a week.

Yeah it’s too soon for a lot of people right now.

7:20 PM

"Whispers, good to see you are not dead."

Daneel, 7:21 PM

Hello whispers, I guess this means your bet is on hold for now?

Quill, 7:21 PM

Whisper: Hrmph.

Whisper: For now.

Ander

smiles.

7:23 PM

"I saw you in the fight, by the way. Where'd you learn the glowy hand thing?"

Quill, 7:24 PM

Whisper: I found a hidden city, became their champion, and thrust my hand into a dragon heart.

7:25 PM

((Insight Check))

Quill, 7:25 PM

((You don't have to. He's fucking with you.))

7:25 PM

((I figured he wasn't Iron Fist. He's too competent.))

Kite, 7:26 PM

((And not whiny enough.))

7:26 PM

"...uh huh."

"Alright, fine. Don't tell me. Glowy fist won't help you if you can't hit me first, anyway."

Kite

turns up, wearing a red sundress.

Quill, 7:27 PM

Whisper: Hitting first is overrated. I prefer to hit once -- last.

7:28 PM

"Hey Kite."

"Even then, you still have to hit. Not getting hit is my specialty.

Quill, 7:30 PM

Whisper: We'll have to see, won't we?

Ander

smiles. "I look forward to it."

Quill, 7:31 PM

Whisper gives a grin. You think it's a grin -- he has a cat face. Fangs.

Kite, 7:32 PM

I do not think talk is likely to resolve the question.

Quill, 7:32 PM

Carrick follows Kite, looking around, a satchel over his shoulder.

7:33 PM

"Hey Carrick."

"...did you...did you come out of the same room?"

Kite, 7:34 PM

… from outdoors?

Quill, 7:35 PM

Yeah, they entered the Inn.

7:35 PM

"...oh...I thought you came from upstairs...I was talking about fighting."

"It's very distracting."

Kite, 7:37 PM

He is under house arrest. Since he currently

has

no house, he will be staying here.

Daneel, 7:38 PM

Why is he under house arrest?

Quill, 7:38 PM

Carrick: Until the whole business with my double gets sorted out, they want to make sure I'm me.

7:39 PM

"...didn't that get sorted?"

Quill, 7:42 PM

Carrick: They're still figuring out everything he did in my name. All the shady deals and alliances that aren't mine, but are still my responsiblitiy.

Kite, 7:43 PM

I feel this is preferable to imprisonment.

7:44 PM

"Food's better, certainly."

Quill, 7:44 PM

Carrick: Less boring, anyway.

Carrick is dressed in normal, every day clothes, and looks ab it scruffier than the last time you saw him.

Daneel, 7:46 PM

Boring and predictable are quite underrated

Kite, 7:46 PM

The food here is excellent.

I do not, however, recommend haggis.

Quill, 7:48 PM

Carrick: ugh. I tried it once. Once.

Kite

shudders a little bit.

Ander

snickers

Daneel, 7:49 PM

... it is not that bad, especially the one here.

7:50 PM

"Hear that, Kite. That was the

good

haggis."

Quill, 7:51 PM

Whisper: I love haggis.

7:52 PM

"And that makes two."

Kite, 7:52 PM

I doubt there

is

good haggis.

Quill, 7:55 PM

Whisper wanders off to order haggis!

7:55 PM

"...so...Kite...you...ok?"

Kite, 7:56 PM

Yes. Why?

Do I seem ill?

7:58 PM

"...you know...the future and all. Or the not-future. The...other future?"

Kite, 7:58 PM

I am still extremely concerned. I have enlisted Carrick and Answorn for assistance.

7:59 PM

"Ah...good. I think."

"...does...like...Carrick know...magic types or something?"

Kite, 8:00 PM

Magic types?

8:01 PM

"You know. Like Daneel. Except someone who actually knows things."

Quill, 8:01 PM

Carrick: No, not really. I know... you know. Ettiquette, protocol. That type of thing.

Daneel, 8:01 PM

Humph, at least I have good taste in food.

8:02 PM

"Oh! That kind of assistance."

Kite, 8:02 PM

Yes.

… some deficits I can make up for with knowledge.

Quill, 8:03 PM

Whisper returns with his haggis.

8:04 PM

"I still think we should take Twinbolt's prediction with a grain of salt. He said he basically glanced a possible future while wrestling the monster thing."

Quill, 8:05 PM

Whisper: What prediction?

Kite, 8:06 PM

I would prefer not to discuss it.

Daneel, 8:06 PM

Did we ever discover why he was fighting the giant monster thing?

8:07 PM

"...I don't think we ever did."

Kite, 8:08 PM

I am not entirely certain that was critical.

8:09 PM

"Yeah, but wouldn't you want to know?"

"Dude is a wizard fighting...I don't even know what. We don't come across that every day."

Daneel, 8:11 PM

And crashing it into the arena, I mean it’s not a common occurrence as far as I know.

8:11 PM

"I really want to know the backstory to this. And also, where I can go to fight one."

Quill, 8:12 PM

Whisper: How close were you? To the weird shadow beastie?

Kite, 8:12 PM

… I think perhaps you ought to wait before fighting one until you are more powerful.

8:13 PM

"I don't mean now. But it's a great training goal."

"Like...imagine how great I would be if I could take down one of those things. It'd be awesome."

Kite, 8:16 PM

True.

Quill, 8:18 PM

Carrick: ... what

was

it? I wasn't there.

8:19 PM

"Like some weird shadow monster thing. It was huge! And it killed, like, a dozen people just being around it! It was awe...ful. Just awful. Very...gruesome and sad."

Ander

turns to Whisper. "Hey, do you know if Cleaver made it out? He seemed cool."

Kite, 8:19 PM

It was extremely unpleasant, and largely composed of shadow and tentacles.

Quill, 8:20 PM

Whsiper: Oh, yeah, he was with the medics before it showed up. Far as I know, he's okay.

Carrick gets a weird look on his face.

Daneel, 8:21 PM

You know something Carrick?

Quill, 8:23 PM

Carrick: ... shadewright. That's what it was. ... maybe don't ask how I know that because I'm not sure.

8:23 PM

".....do you think you knew that before you got crystaled?"

Kite, 8:24 PM

… that is concerning.

8:24 PM

"...this is him. Them. Whatever. This is so clearly them."

"...and now I really need to know what happened."

Quill, 8:27 PM

Carrick: I don't think so. It's like I'm vaguely remembering a dream, or something I read when I was a kid.

Kite, 8:29 PM

You show no signs of extraplanarity.

Quill, 8:31 PM

Carrick: I don't know. I know that while I was in that pod,

he

had access to all my memories and all that. Maybe it went both ways?

Kite, 8:33 PM

That would make you uniquely valuable. Is this the first time?

Daneel, 8:06 PM

Did we ever discover why he was fighting the giant monster thing?

8:07 PM

"...I don't think we ever did."

Kite, 8:08 PM

I am not entirely certain that was critical.

8:09 PM

"Yeah, but wouldn't you want to know?"

"Dude is a wizard fighting...I don't even know what. We don't come across that every day."

Daneel, 8:11 PM

And crashing it into the arena, I mean it’s not a common occurrence as far as I know.

8:11 PM

"I really want to know the backstory to this. And also, where I can go to fight one."

Quill, 8:12 PM

Whisper: How close were you? To the weird shadow beastie?

Kite, 8:12 PM

… I think perhaps you ought to wait before fighting one until you are more powerful.

8:13 PM

"I don't mean now. But it's a great training goal."

"Like...imagine how great I would be if I could take down one of those things. It'd be awesome."

Kite, 8:16 PM

True.

Quill, 8:18 PM

Carrick: ... what

was

it? I wasn't there.

8:19 PM

"Like some weird shadow monster thing. It was huge! And it killed, like, a dozen people just being around it! It was awe...ful. Just awful. Very...gruesome and sad."

Ander

turns to Whisper. "Hey, do you know if Cleaver made it out? He seemed cool."

Kite, 8:19 PM

It was extremely unpleasant, and largely composed of shadow and tentacles.

Quill, 8:20 PM

Whsiper: Oh, yeah, he was with the medics before it showed up. Far as I know, he's okay.

Carrick gets a weird look on his face.

Daneel, 8:21 PM

You know something Carrick?

Quill, 8:23 PM

Carrick: ... shadewright. That's what it was. ... maybe don't ask how I know that because I'm not sure.

8:23 PM

".....do you think you knew that before you got crystaled?"

Kite, 8:24 PM

… that is concerning.

8:24 PM

"...this is him. Them. Whatever. This is so clearly them."

"...and now I really need to know what happened."

Quill, 8:27 PM

Carrick: I don't think so. It's like I'm vaguely remembering a dream, or something I read when I was a kid.

Kite, 8:29 PM

You show no signs of extraplanarity.

Quill, 8:31 PM

Carrick: I don't know. I know that while I was in that pod,

he

had access to all my memories and all that. Maybe it went both ways?

Kite, 8:33 PM

That would make you uniquely valuable. Is this the first time?

8:33 PM

...you think you maybe got some memories from him? ...I think And work would--yeah, what Kite said.

Kite, 8:38 PM

… and uniquely endangered.

Quill, 8:38 PM

Carrick: That I got anything like this? Yes.

Carrick: Well, I'm glad I'm here, then.

8:39 PM

"...I had a thought. Kite, remember how I taught you the meditation to help you sleep? Scribe taught me a bunch to help me control my mood and stuff. Maybe, if we went to see him at some point, Scribe would know a technique to help Carrick remember stuff that The King of Liars knew."

Kite, 8:40 PM

That is an excellent suggestion.

8:40 PM

"I'll go see him later today. I'll ask him about it."

((I won't do that now, for the sake of Canto's sanity.

:)

))

Quill, 8:43 PM

Carrick: All I know is that it's a Shadewright, and it's bad. It's dead?

8:43 PM

"It looked pretty dead."

Daneel, 8:44 PM

Well a wizard kind of splattered it so I assume so.

Ander

turns to Whisper. "...was wondering. What if we revised the bet? Same goal as before, first one to get eliminated loses. But instead of that 50 gold you'll owe me, you have to tell me where you learned the glowy fist stuff and how you do your tricks. How's that sound?"

Quill, 8:46 PM

He thinks. "Do I still get 50 gold when I win?"

8:46 PM

"If that's what you want."

"Won't matter, cause I'm gonna win."

Kite, 8:46 PM

Andar seemed fairly formidable.

8:47 PM

"Well, he's like...a legend and stuff. I'm guessing he's about as tough as a wizard gets."

Quill, 8:49 PM

Carrick: Andar Twinbolt is fairly legendary, yes.

Kite, 8:54 PM

I know very little about him.

Quill, 8:56 PM

Carrick: wEll, he helped the Empress secure her throne. Before that, they were adventurers together. I'll let you borrow some of the books. The accounts are a bit fictionalized by their party's bard, but....

8:56 PM

"Who was that? The bard, I mean."

Kite

cannot quite help flinching a little bit.

8:57 PM

"...you ok, Kite?"

Kite, 8:57 PM

Yes.

8:58 PM

((9 insight on that

:)

))

Kite, 8:58 PM

((I don't think it takes much to realize she doesn't wanna talk about empresses securing thrones right now.))

9:00 PM

"...where'd the new duds come from, Carrick? They don't look like your usual stuff."

Quill, 9:01 PM

Carrick: I was gently convinced that the leather armor I got wasn't terribly efficient or flattering. I was given these by the palace staff when I asked for simple clothes.

9:02 PM

"Well, that was nice of them. It helps you fit in better."

Daneel, 9:03 PM

It does, he just needs a good hat now.

Quill, 9:03 PM

Carrick: I understand they're more upkeep than they're worth.

Kite, 9:04 PM

That does remind me, I would quite like to try being a rat.

9:05 PM

"...now?"

Kite

shrugs.

Quill, 9:05 PM

Carrick: It's not bad.

Kite, 9:05 PM

When I can reliably be turned back after a set period of time.

Quill, 9:05 PM

Carrick: Just try to resist chewing on straw hats.

Ander

snorts with laughter

Kite, 9:06 PM

I feel that might result in indigestion.

Daneel, 9:07 PM

Yes , apparantly they are irresistible to rats.

9:07 PM

"...well, come find me and I'll give you the rod."

Kite, 9:08 PM

Now would be agreeable.

Ander

pulls out the rod and hands it to her.

Kite

pushes some buttons until she gets ratted.

Quill, 9:09 PM

There's a Kite rat!

Whisper eyes this all happening.

Whisper: ... just what do you guys get up to?

9:10 PM

"Trust me, this is nothing."

Kite

is a thin little grey rat with weird black front claws, apparently!

Kite

sniffs around curiously.

Quill, 9:11 PM

It's a whole new world of smells! Carrick picks Kite up, carefully, and puts her on the table.

Kite

sniffs at him, and then everybody else in turn, methodically.

9:12 PM

"And now I am the only member of Paper Dragons to have never been a rat. ...I am not sure if I should be proud or very concerned about the group I joined."

Daneel, 9:13 PM

Well you have to be next then.

9:13 PM

"You could not pay me enough."

Quill, 9:13 PM

Whisper: Concerned.

You get very strong sense of everyone's scent!

Kite

squeaks reproachfully.

9:14 PM

"I take it you don't group up much, Whisper."

Quill, 9:15 PM

Whsiper: I'm not adventurer like you.

9:16 PM

"I'm not sure I qualify. We've only been hired to two adventures so far and the most I've done is take out an escaped hand."

Kite

sits in front of Ander and Carrick, pointedly.

Ander

pats Kite on the head.

9:19 PM

"...I just realized, we never worked out a signal for when she wants to turn back."

Kite

is petted! Seems very happy with this.

Quill, 9:19 PM

Carrick picks up Kite and scritches behind her ears.

Whisper: Your group might be weird, Ander.

Kite

enjoys the scritchings too!

Quill, 9:20 PM

Whisper: That said, ear scritchings are pretty great.

9:21 PM

"...you do not understand the massive willpower I am exerting to not make a cat joke here. I deserve...like...an award of some kind."

"Do you know how many opportunities are here. Kite turned into a rat. You want ear scritches. It's an eternal struggle."

Kite

squeaks pointedly.

Quill, 9:23 PM

Whisper: .... I don't get it.

9:24 PM

"It's just...it's a very cat thing."

Quill, 9:24 PM

Whisper: What is?

Kite

squeaks again.

9:25 PM

"Getting your ears petted like that."

Quill, 9:26 PM

Whisper: If you had fur you'd get it.

Carrick pets rat kite.

9:27 PM

"I am sure I would."

"I'm sure Kite's enjoying it right now."

Kite

seems pretty content, oddly!

Quill, 9:28 PM

Across the room, Murr watches the rat like a hawk.

9:28 PM

"Murr, no! That is your friend. You need her to get food and protect you when you shed on my bed."

"Ok, Kite, give me three squeaks when you want to change back."

Quill, 9:31 PM

Hey, he's just watching. Intensely. HIs tail flicking behind him.

Kite

shakes her head.

Kite

squeaks three times and hops down to the ground.

Ander

turns her back.

9:33 PM

"...for the record, Whisper...yeah, they are very weird."

Quill, 9:34 PM

Murr looks confused! He comes over.

Kite, 9:35 PM

That was

extremely

interesting.

Answorn was quite right. Everything is \*extremely\*… immediate.

9:35 PM

"...when did he say that?"

"Well, glad you enjoyed yourself."

Kite, 9:38 PM

We have had several conversations during which you were not present.

9:39 PM

"Oh. That's fair. You're basically overseeing Carrick with him, so that makes sense."

Kite, 9:41 PM

Also I am seeing him socially.

9:41 PM

"...oh, Oh! Um...good. Neat."

Quill, 9:42 PM

Whisper: Hah. Now' we're talking. Who's Answorn?

He eats his haggis.

9:44 PM

"Inspector from the Zetetic Institute. Cool guy. I think he's still pretending to be dead."

Kite, 9:44 PM

No. He is officially alive.

… and on mandatory leave, because apparently they do not like it when people pretend to be dead.

9:45 PM

"Makes sense."

"Um...Carrick...you cool with us talking about this? I know you had a thing for Kite for a bit."

Quill, 9:46 PM

Carrick: ... I think I'm fine.

9:47 PM

"Ok."

Kite, 9:48 PM

I am also seeing him socially.

9:49 PM

".....I am confused."

Kite, 9:50 PM

… about?

9:51 PM

"...you're dating Answorn."

Kite, 9:52 PM

Yes?

Quill, 9:52 PM

Whisper: What? Pretty girl has a couple of boyfriends.

Whisper: Not that weird.

9:53 PM

"...you can do that?"

Quill, 9:53 PM

Whisper: If everyone's okay with it, yeah?

9:53 PM

"..........."

"...at once?"

Kite, 9:55 PM

Not simultaneously.

That might be awkward. Although I would not object.

9:55 PM

"...................."

Quill, 9:55 PM

Whisper: That's when it's the

most

fun.

Carrick: I'd need to think about it.

Ander

blushes just a bit.

9:56 PM

"We--well...if everyone's ok with it...I...sure that's...that's probably...sure."

Kite

gives Ander a weird look.

9:58 PM

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's never good when you do that."

"...I am...look, if you want to do this, that's fine. But it is a bit weird. I can't be the only one who thinks so."

Kite, 10:00 PM

Do you not date where you are from?

Quill, 10:01 PM

WHisper: It's dating. It's not like... lifemates or whatever you choose to call them.

10:04 PM

"I mean...sometimes but...our marriages are arranged."

"So...there's usually not much point to dating."

"And certainly not two people at once."

"There are adjucators who decide these things, or maybe the Skywatcher if the family is more religious."

Kite, 10:06 PM

Adjudicators?

10:07 PM

"They decide stuff that's important but usually below the chief. Like, the chief can't hear every story about one farmer's goat eating off another farmer's land, he'd never get to them all."

Kite, 10:07 PM

Why would you simply not decide yourselves?

10:08 PM

"Because there's a lot of questions. Like, did the goat really do it? How do you know it was his or her goat? It's a whole thing."

Kite, 10:10 PM

… I meant the dating. Or possibly marriages.

10:13 PM

"Oh. ...well...lots of reasons. Mostly cause it's usually better for the tribe. You avoid huge fights that could break out if two people loved the same person, or if two people think they love each other and then decide they don't. Or, maybe you need to get another family into the tribe, a marriage is good for that. And, like, you can request people and discuss it with your adjudicator. But...ultimately...the tribe has to come first."

Quill, 10:15 PM

Whisper: .... halflings have 'skywatchers'?

Carrick is just studying Ander.

Kite, 10:16 PM

Her group is unusual.

10:16 PM

"...I am also weird, I guess."

Kite, 10:16 PM

I do not think I would like to let someone else decide that for me.

10:17 PM

"Like I said, it's more of a discussion. And it's better than it used to be. You can pick if you want your lifemate to be a man or woman now."

"My grandma says they never would've done that in her day."

Kite, 10:19 PM

… quite a lot of people must have left the tribe.

Ander

furrows her brow. "No. Not really. Not that I know of."

Kite, 10:21 PM

I know many people who would greatly object to being paired with someone of the incorrect gender.

Quill, 10:22 PM

Carrick: Some folks only considering a pairing 'real' if it generates children.

10:23 PM

"...it was a different time and...we're just...where I'm from...the tribe is more important than that."

Kite, 10:24 PM

… there is a word for forcing people to have sex.

10:26 PM

"It's not like that. It's not...like you do still get a say. It's just important that the decision is ultimately with someone who's thinking of everyone, not just yourselves."

Quill, 10:27 PM

Carrick: It's not too different from what I was telling you about noble marriages, Kite, it sounds like. We have the say on whether or not we marry, but the family deals with the requests and betrothals.

Carrick: Though we still make allowances for romances and consorts mistresses and all of that outside the marriage.

10:28 PM

"...yeah we...we don't do that bit."

Quill, 10:29 PM

Carrick: reminds me of the Goliath tribes way down south near the Jewel Cities.

10:30 PM

"...you, uh...you don't say. Weird that."

Quill, 10:31 PM

Carrick: Sure, they're warriors, warrior culture, but, weirdly prudish given the potential short, harsh lives.

Kite, 10:32 PM

Social force is still force.

10:32 PM

"...I wouldn't say

prudish

. Just maybe a bit cautious."

"...from what...like...I've heard."

Quill, 10:37 PM

Carrick: Hrm.

10:39 PM

"Point is, it's weird to me. But...like...clearly everyone else is fine with it so...whatever. You guys...do...whatever."

"...I need another drink. Anyone else want another drink?"

Kite, 10:39 PM

It is somewhat early in the day.

10:40 PM

"...well now who's being prudish?"

Ander

orders another ale.

Kite, 10:43 PM

I do not think it is prudish, merely abstemious.

10:44 PM

"...that's kind of a big word."

Quill, 10:44 PM

Whisper finishes his haggis. "Not a bad idea." He orders one, too!

10:44 PM

"...what's abstemious mean?"

"See? Whisper gets it. I like this guy. He gets it."

Quill, 10:45 PM

Whisper: It's good for washing down the haggis.

Kite, 10:46 PM

I do not think

anything

is sufficient for the purpose.

10:48 PM

"You should get the whiskey if you want to do that. The whiskey here is some powerful stuff."

Quill, 10:48 PM

Carrick: Reluctant to drink.

10:50 PM

"...well that's just weird. Who would want to be that?"

Kite, 10:53 PM

It is too early to drink much for me.

Quill, 10:53 PM

Carrick: Yeah, that.

10:54 PM

"Ok, ok. Sorry."

Kite

smiles slightly.

Ander

smiles back and takes a drink.

Kite

will get a nice dark beer, though.

Quill, 11:10 PM

There's some very nice afternoon beers have.

Kite

cuddles with Murr, too.

Quill, 11:10 PM

Oh yes, Murr

demands

attention.

11:10 PM

Congratulations Murr. You are now getting scritches from a former rat.

Kite, 11:11 PM

Good cat. Good.