<@Ardweden> [Day: Saturday, September 25. Time: ?] <@Ardweden> [We join Hien, Imp, Joan, and Susano-O outside of a fairytale castle which is Not Actually In Maine (which is Not Actually In Canada). They're looking for Hien's sister, Natalie! One hopes, anyway. Susano-O just said something about the castle not being a place for elves. Maybe he would care to elaborate? Or maybe not.] <@Ardweden> [Start!] 06* Hien looks over at Susano-o. "I have to ask. Why isn't it for elves?" 06* Imp just bamfs over onto Hien's head. Again. He adds his stare to Hiens waiting for the answer. 06* Susano-o cocks his head, and looks at it meditatively. "It's well done. But they don't build this ornate. Elves are more elegant." Zose zings at ze north pole? 06* Hien stifles a laugh. "It'd be snowier if it were those ones. But hm." And those wouldn't get to choose how to build. 06* Hien walks up to the edge of the moat and looks at the raised drawbridge. Hello, the castle! Is anyone there? 06* Imp isn't being moved off Hien's head so he happily settle down at his vantage point and looks around for any signs of life. 06* Susano-o steps along behind her to the side, and looks at the drawbridge approvingly. <@Ardweden> [A man with a metal, pointy helmet pokes his head out from what may be a guard tower. "Hullo!" he calls down.] I'm looking for a girl named Natalie. Short, black hair down to her chin, brown eyes, sometimes wears glasses. Is she in? <@Ardweden> ["Let me check!" he calls back. And then he retreats into the tower.] 06* Hien waits patiently, admiring the stained glass windows. <@Ardweden> [While he's gone, Imp sees someone, or something, walk out a cave in the cliff face. There was a cliff? Apparently! It's a woman, tall, red-skinned, and four-armed.] TIFF TIFF! 06* Imp waves looking overly happy. 06* Hien suddenly realizes that Imp is on her head. She gently removes him and stares in Tiffany's direction. 06* Susano-o stops admiring the drawbridge, and tries to see which way Imp is looking. Which is hard because he's gone now, so he follows Hien's line of sight instead, and straightens. 06* Joan is more interested in the castle. The real Joan used to live in one of those. 06* Kali is definitely there on the cliff, overlooking the castle. She does look down at the words and then, suddenly she's there. Making a sudden grab for Imp. Her eyes are cold, practically looking through him. "Say that one more time. *Really*. Please." 06* Hien does not hand him over just yet. "Done with your important business?" There's a slightly menacing rumble to her tone. <@Ardweden> [Kali does grab Imp before Hien pulls him away, and he suddenly finds himself being held by two ladies. Hopefully they don't start a tug of war.] 06* Kali turns towards Hien for a moment, eyes flashing with just a trace of anger herself then...backing down. She lets go and turns to hold her right side, rubbing it, eyes downcast. "...now's not really the time..." 06* Imp looks scared between both of them. "I...you found us..." His voice is quivering just a tad. 06* Susano-o widens his eyes, looking at Imp in Hien's grasp. "Yeah. You did." 06* Hien looks at Kali. "You're right. It's not." She gently puts Imp on her shoulder. <@Ardweden> [Right about now, the man in the tower returns. "Hullo!" he calls.] 06* Hien waves with the arm that isn't supporting Imp. "Hello! Did you find her?" 06* Imp settles back on the shoulder. "Hello, did you... what she said." H.... Nevermind. 06* Hien beats everyone in response time! Yay! 06* Susano-o looks at the man, but casts a couple of quick, and hopefully surreptitious, glances at Kali. 06* Kali is beaten in response time, because she's too busy looking away from Hien. She does turn to look pointedly at Imp after a time, but says nothing. Susano-o's glances are ignored. <@Ardweden> ["Nobody who goes by the name 'Natalie' resides here, so sorry! So if you could please leave without setting fire to the castle, we would appreciate it!"] I really wasn't planning on setting fire to anything. But maybe she's going by another name here? Was there anyone who matched my description of her? Her or me? <@Ardweden> ["Ah..." He twirls his mustache nervously. "No?"] Are you sure? You seem a little nervous. You wouldn't be hiding anything, would you? 06* Kali looks up at the man, her steady gaze on him. With a snort. "Right." She takes a step forward, withdrawing her blades. "We storm the castle then." <@Ardweden> [He steps back. "No? NO!" And his hands go up. "Don't storm the castle! I live in this castle!"] 06* Hien looks over at Kali. "Whoa, whoa! No storming yet!" 06* Joan nods. "I agree. It is a lovely castle." 06* Hien looks up at the guy. "Yet. Seriously, we don't actually want to hurt anyone here, but it's very important that we find Natalie." 06* Joan looks up to the guard. "Surely, monsieur, you would not mind showing your wonderful chateau to a fellow knight, oui?" Wait, we don't want to hurt people? <@Ardweden> ["I... ah, a fellow knight?" He peers down at Joan. "Yes, of course! But... ah, your traveling companions."] 06* Hien looks at Imp. "Considering people other than you are included in that 'we,' yes." 06* Kali shoots the man a look, like she could *eat* him. She probably could. "Then..." Her blade shifts, without pause right in front of Imp. Shut it. "I don't care to waste my *time* here." 06* Hien looks at Kali. "Oh, that's good. So you spend your time doing whatever it is that you think is more important, and then you march on in and get impatient. Nice." 'Armless, I assure you. 06* Joan rounds on Kali and whispers harshly. "Could you please be *QUIET*" <@Ardweden> ["That one in particular seems to have many arms," he says, pointing out Kali.] 06* Susano-o laughs sharply at that. 06* Kali is well-armed, yes. She gives a look at Joan, then Hien. Then huffs, sheathing all of her blades and crossing her arms. *Yes* she *does* look rather impatient right now. "What? no, I didn't mean armless. I meant 'armless." 06* Hien takes a deep breath and folds her two arms. Smoke is trailing from one corner of her mouth. <@Ardweden> [He eyes Kali for a looooong moment, then says, "May I have your word, as a knight, that they will cause no harm to the castle or its inhabitants?"] 06* Hien looks at Joan and nods. 06* Imp just looks at Joan and smiles. 06* Susano-o just looks at the drawbridge again. 06* Joan looks at Imp. And then Kali. And then Imp. "Per'aps you two can stand guard out 'ere?" Sure! I can stay out here, peacefully, alone, with tiff tiff. 06* Susano-o snaps his head around to look at Joan. "Together?" 06* Kali looks up carefully and gives another wide smile. You know. Reminiscent of sharks. "I'd give my word so long as they cause no harm *first*." She then frowns at the thought at staying out with Imp, eyes glancing at Joan carefully. 06* Joan looks at Susano-o. "At least the damage would be outside the castle, non?" 06* Susano-o looks pretty unsure. "I can stay. If we're staying. And one of them can go." 06* Joan glances at Imp again. Then at Susano-o. "Can you keep him in check?" Hey, I just said I'd stay out here. 06* Susano-o looks down at him. "Uh. Maybe? If he wants to be staying, I think so." 06* Joan glances at Imp again. Then back to Susano-o. "Are you certain?" I can do my best. I won't make you lose your word. Look, this is Nat's dream. I don't know what you guys making a mess will do to her. So I'd prefer we really, really not get into major destruction here. Okay? Oh come the fuck on, what are you going to do if you meet the big bad without us? And you don't trust me to stay out here? Really? 06* Imp loses all his anger when Hien mention Nat and just looks down. "I won't do anything. If you want me to stay here I'll sit right here and do nothing without a babysitter." I'm okay with it. Um. Staying out here, I mean. Whatever way you want to do it. Stay or go. 06* Kali gives a temporary glance over to Susano-o, then to Hien, then drops her head. She looks...defeated. Her voice dips lower, only loud enough so those around her can hear her, not mustachio'd knight. "...we're the Nightmare Bringers. Messing up dreams in the end is kind of our job. At some point anyway...." 06* Kali may just be scuffling her toe a little. 06* Hien looks over at Kali, then back at Joan. "I think we can all go." 06* Susano-o straightens again, and looks up at the guard, pleased with the outcome. <@Ardweden> [The guard is up there, twirling his mustache, while he waits.] 06* Joan nods. "Alright." She calls back up to the guard. "They won't do any 'arm if no 'arm is done to us." 06* Imp just looks deflated. 06* Hien stops smoking. Yay? <@Ardweden> ["Fantastic!" he cries, clapping his hands together. "In that case..." There's the creaking of chains as the drawbridge starts to lower. "Welcome!"] 06* Joan strides in in good knightly posture. "You 'onor us." Hurray! 06* Susano-o steps back to watch the drawbridge mechanism work from a different angle. 06* Imp stays up on Hien's shoulder for now. 06* Joan totally waits for the drawbridge to finish lowering, of couse. Else she'd end up in the moat. That would suck. <@Ardweden> [The drawbridge really is very well done, and it lowers smoothly.] 06* Hien is pleased with the drawbridge quality, but is eager for it to get down. 06* Susano-o lines up behind Hien for entry once the drawbridge is down. <@Ardweden> [It lowers fully, and ahead, the portcullis rises.] <@Ardweden> [If and when you guys cross, the moat itself sparkles with dozens of... fish. Brightly colored, beautiful fish, with fanned tails. There's no way those could harm you.] 06* Joan now does that stuff she said she did before. Yeah. 06* Hien admires the fish, although she is wary as she remembers the deathfish from before. 06* Imp frowns looking down at them 06* Kali doesn't look at the fish. Why would she look at the fish? Those fish aren't important in any way, nope! 06* Susano-o follows Hien. But why look at the fish when you can look at a real castle? <@Ardweden> [Susano-O has a good point. They reach the end of the drawbridge without incident, and the large double doors open in front of them! On the other side... is a gray mist.] 06* Imp settles back on Hien's shoulder riding in style. <@Ardweden> [And so, they go in. One would hope. The GM hopes.] <@Ardweden> [End!]