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Kale Hearthward	Nine centuries ago, the lighthouse at the center of the world fell. Its creative force lived on inside enchanted lightbulbs, magical instruments, and artifacts. Warriors fought amongst themselves to gain control of these last remnants of creation. Then after years of struggle, desperate attempts were made to save what remained of the world. There were those that created great vehicles to carry the survivors to new lands, and others that made great magical engines to rekindle the spark of creation one person at a time. Still others created timeless refuges to wait out the troubled ages, or inscribed the world into huge simulations that it might live on in a way. Those that remained, grew afraid to create. Their hearts filled with empty emotions and they grew estranged from the light. They turned their gaze away from the lighthouse, and troubled themselves with petty disputes. This is the tale of the remnants of that world. The search for the last and greatest of the artifacts, that which might bring the light of creation back in full force... This is the tale of MEDALLION. --REALITY-- "... the tale of MEDALLION," says Green Mage, his single eye occasionally glancing down at his notes behind the Dungeon Master screen, and then back up to the group. "But really, all of that is just, you know, lore and metaplot. You don't really need to pay too much attention to that, especially since we're doing a one-off! Mwe he he he." "So! All of you have been hired by the traveling salesman Niccolo-" "Niko?" asks Worldy, who's having to sit on top of a pile of sourcebooks to see over the table. "No, Niccolo. He's a sort of - hang on. Actually I have a mini here, mwe he he he..." Green Mage gets out a figurine: https://i.postimg.cc/sgFLCX3v/Niccolo.png "But Niko is a cat, not a rabbit. Or not a cat," says Worldy, peering at the rabbit mini. "Anyway," says Green Mage, continuing on. "Niccolo has hired your party to-"
Kale Hearthward	--ROLEPLAY-- "-clear out the roads, they're full of bandits, don't you know," says Niccolo. "Bandits, highwaymen, couple monsters, nothing you lot can't handle I expect. But it's hard for the rest of us, when shipments going through come through with half their goods gone as 'tolls', or don't come through at all, don't you know." The rabbit merchant has assembled everyone at the start of Luon Highway, the main road connecting the town of Domina to the rest of Fa'Diel. There's truth to what he's saying - supplies in Domina have been drying up, and perhaps most crucially for some of you the tavern's starting to dry up. Luon Highway is, as the name suggests, an elevated road heading up into the mountains. Even from here at the start, the group can see that the road gets narrow in places, has several blind turns and flanking spots that'd be perfect for ambushes, and caves that look ideal for hideouts housing ne'er'do'wells. "Before we get started, though, should get to know each other. My name's Niccolo - I'm a merchant who believes every transaction should put a smile on someone's face, don't you know. How about yourselves?" This feels like a chance to introduce yourselves and show off a little bit. --REALITY-- "Right - this is a chance to have your characters introduce yourselves and show off a little bit. Everyone filled out a character sheet, right?" Along with the gaming table, books, character sheets, miniatures, and other gaming paraphernalia there are a selection of drinks, snacks, and a single blue door piece inside a locked cupboard. While Kale and Future Kale are off elsewhere for right now, the Red Doll and Blue Thief have joined the group. The former has filled out their sheet with some manner of 'retaliation warrior' build, while the latter has, perhaps unsurprisingly, made a rogue. (A rogue with his height attribute maxed out.) Green Mage handed out blank character sheets and player handbooks - but, perhaps crucially, he hasn't asked to doublecheck anyone's character yet. Perhaps, as this is a one-off adventure, he's not going to actually check for cheating or theme appropriateness too hard?
Futaba Nuki	Something about MEDALLION's premise feels extremely topical to Futaba. She can't quite put her finger on what it is, but it feels like something that might be worth talking over with everyone eventually, even if Green Mage does say it's something not worth paying much attention to. Very eventually and not now, though, because it's time for MEDALLION! She's sitting attentively at the table, absorbing what Green Mage explains even though she has her feet up on the chair and her tail curled around and around it so she doesn't smack anything off the table or risk anyone kicking it. "Don't worry, Worldy. Plenty of people got similar names to others, like Green Mage and Green Man, or Niccolo and Pickles Joe." She reassures while patting the cat computer child on the head lightly." You'll meet plenty more people with even closer names than that, the more you get out and around." Turning her attention back to the table, Futaba shuffles around on her chair to get comfortable (now her feet AND hands are on the seat), and then she hears the siren's call of SHOWING OFF. "Introduction time, eh? ALright! My guy's name is..." First, she needs to actually remember what she filled out. A quick peek at her sheet, and it all comes on back to mind. "Right. My guy is Hayato Bongo, heir to the Bongo Construction Company and aspiring musician!" Futaba pantomimes strumming a guitar, then just turns her right arm into a guitar and pantomimes strumming that without proper guitar noises. "He grew up in the lap of luxury, tended to by hand and foot-" She pauses, like she's questioning if that's the right phrase, then shrugs. "-but he was never happy with being the kind of person his parents wanted him to be. After working hard to bankrupt the company three times, he got his wish and a new partner: A demon sealed inside his left arm that agreed to become his bassist!" Her left arm turns dark and sufficiently demonic looking, and then her left hand turns into a bass guitar. "Kinda makes it hard for either of 'em to play properly, but they make do with the gimmick. Of course, they need money, so..." Her arms turn back to normal, and she gestures at the table with a confident grin that she totally came up with something completely original and not based on anything at all. "That's where they're startin' off here."
Petra Soroka	There are few forces in the entire multiverse that could make Petra sit down for a shitty tabletop game ran by an idiot. One of those forces, apparently, is Kale fucking Hearthward, who isn't even here to suffer along with her. So here she is, knee propped up to her chest and tapping on her phone while Green Mage gives his spiel, paying attention exactly as much as is necessary to 'get through' this rather than fully indulge in it. "You don't really need to pay too much attention to that, especially since we're doing a one-off!"     "Sick." Petra was alert at the mention of a lighthouse and the possibility that this might be in some way relevant or interesting to her actual emotional investment in Niko, but that hope dries up just a sentence or two later along with her attention span. Petra thumbs a cigarette out of a carton, habitually checks around for if Kale's here, remembers she's indoors and that's too rude even for her, and settles for a pretzel stick instead. <"Before we get started, though, should get to know each other.">     Petra watches the Green Mage do his little dming act, switching between voice acting and narrating, with a kind of contempt-filled fascination. She looks like she's been blackmailed to be here in some contrived high school comedy movie plot, where she just has to try it out once to see that it's not just for losers and then she'll love it-- but, obviously, it *is* just for losers, and Petra is immune to such petty mind tricks.     "Yeah, I've got my character here, one sec. Here's the sheets, here's the... I don't have a figure like that, but I can-- let me just put this token down." After shuffling around for a bit, Petra puts a convenient cog she found in her pocket on the board in place of her character, who she introduces as--     "This is my character. His name's Green Mage." --ROLEPLAY-- <"My name's Niccolo - I'm a merchant who believes every transaction should put a smile on someone's face, don't you know.">     "Well hi, my name's Green Mage. I suck at magic and I always hide my face because I'm super ugly. I totally promise I'll help you with your bandits or whatever, but I'll make it as dumb and annoying as possible for literally no reason at all." --REALITY--     Petra snaps a pretzel stick between her teeth, chewing loudly. "And he's not lying about being ugly, by the way. If you look under the hat then he really is."
Angela	Working this hard to collect a piece of a door in order to get someone a hand when she lives in a place that could give anyone who wants one three hands if they're really in the mood for it is something that is driving Angela to the brink. On the other hand, she's never done this 'roleplay' before and is a little curious about it even if the circumstances are unfortunate. She has created a character - Lady Commander Primrose Birman and is inclined to participate as a learning experience. Cinder has joined in by creating Fire Punch. They may have put different levels of effort in their characters. "Lady Commander Primrose says, 'hello Niccolo, FRANKLY it is shameful that we even need to be called in to deal with ''mere'' bandits.' Then the psychic ghost following Lady Primrose around uses telepathy to tell the merchant that he should betray the party if he really wants help. Also Lady Commander Primrose is eyeing Niccolo suspiciously in case he is a creep like a rabbit man she knows back home." Meanwhile Cinder speaks up, "Hi I'm Fire Punch. My character is also on fire but she's cool with it.#-1 FUNCTION (ANS) NOT FOUND --ROLEPLAY-- "Hello Firepunch. Why are you on fire? " Lady Primrose asks. "Well you see I was living in my village with my family when someone came and burned it all down but instead of burning away, I'm just always on fire now." "Well that's nice." Lady Primrose says before looking to Green Mage. "Oh my GOD, you're hideous. Haven't you thought of a hair and skin care regimen at all? Pathetic." --Reality-- "How am I doing?" Angela asks Petra. "I think you're doing a great job and I'm really looking forward to roleplaying with your character, Green Mage." It is impossible to tell if she's being serious or just playing into the bit.
Calvin Nash	--REALITY--     Until Green Mage brought out the miniature for Niccolo, Calvin had been looking around; rising up in his seat to peer over the mage's shoulder, putting a hand on the back of it to crane his neck behind him, putting a palm under the table to lean the chair back on its legs and peep under the table. Anything to check and see if there were literal roads, bandits, etcetera that he was just missing.     The miniature is the last missing piece to convince him that no, this isn't the kind of ritual where wind swirls around or little motes of energy rise into the air or ghosts scream.     "Oh." It's not a disappointed noise, for however much that's worth; more one of blunt recognition.     There are worse ways the Green Mage could have leveraged the door. The nightclub and the ATM outside it come to mind.     Getting 'in character' should just mean talking like some of the more stuffy demons he's known, right? --ROLEPLAY--     "I am... Dale Ironheart J--... the Younger. You might be more familiar with my daddy--*father,* the best rider this side of Fa'Diel. I'm hoping to be even better. Those bandits won't know what hit 'em." Well, hi, my name's Green Mage. I suck at magic and I always hide my face because I'm super ugly. I totally promise I'll help you with your bandits or whatever, but I'll make it as dumb and annoying as possible for literally no reason at all. --REALITY--      The side of Calvin's neck looks like a snake is stuck inside it, so prominent is the vein. He's almost as red as the road trip with Madeleine. But this is different. He isn't shouting. And he doesn't really even look like he wants to. No, this is holding in something different--and he hasn't chided Petra for it, so what could it be?      It's laughter. He's trying not to laugh. "Petra," he eventually chides, shakily, as if shifting his weight even slightly might cause the whole tower he's built to topple.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan, still dressed in his colorful outfit with his tail dyed, spends a lengthy moment in the central clearing of Everhood looking around with a scowl. "I just know he's getting kidnapped again," he mutters, "I'm gonna put a dog leash on him and give it to Skye." --GAMER REALITY-- Still, it's hard to be that annoyed when there is STORY TELLING TO DO. Story telling everyone HAS to do to get the door piece. Aidan is immediately invested, eagerly scribbling over his character sheet. He can't read any of the books at great length, and he's read a lot of stories, why would he need something like a book. He rolls the dice and scribbles down the numbers as instructed. Though he does frown at his sheet, looking at the miniature he picked. A flip over of the sheet, a grab of his can of Diet RC Cola, a pull of some plain corn chips into his range. Aidan snaps a bite out of one smartly as he speaks. --ROLEPLAY-- At the foot of the road stands a man, a noble red fox, proud of frame, square of shoulder, with the build of a professional dancer. Clad in soot darkened breastplate to match coal darkened eyes, thick armored arm guards and leg guards for deflecting sword blows. A black silk cape blows out behind him, the lining on the inside a satiny emerald to match his stunning eyes. Always perfectly swept back to give a look at his bushy tail. He carries a bastard sword, a one and a half hand blade, perfectly weighted, a blade that glitters as if it were always perfectly polished, sheathed across his back. The blade shifts from over the cloak to under the cloak several times before it settles on underneath. "I am Tempest Dragonfruit," the fox says in a dour tone. His look at Niccolo makes it certain to Niccolo and the others that he never smiles. "Loyal Kn-" --REALITY-- Aidan glances at Angela and Petra. --ROLEPLAY-- "Retainer of the Empire. These bandits must be dealt with to-" VHS pause. Several seconds pass. "Protect the people of The Empire, and those they would deal with." --REALITY-- Aidan glares over at Petra. --ROLEPLAY-- "Hrmm, Green Mage, I'm sure you will be a useful and helpful member of our party." It seems a struggle for Tempest Dragonfruit to say it. "Your help will hardly be needed, though. My blade can topple any foe."
Xion	Listless, like the bubble pop of conscious thoughts floating on the sea of less-than-wakefulness. An empty nod that is a surprise every bob when motion and falling are noticed, lost space, lost time, and Xion finds herself leaning on the Kingdom Key again. Propped up on the floor-rise of the Keyblade's wide hilt, Xion laces a black-coated arm through the handle and braces cheek and chin against couched forearm. Restive, like she had simply fallen asleep with her massive key out at the game table, Xion droopily lifts her eyes and sees-- Dice? Lifting her head and thumbing the drool from corner of her mouth, Xion resettles in her seat and lifts eyes to topic. Bleary-blinking, she looks at her sheet and then. . . Gets up. "Wooh," She yawns. "I must've dozed off before session. Let's see--" Scanning about the room and prizing a bag of chocolate pretzels from the game snacks, and a three-remaining-from-a-six-pack cola from a brand that won't be examined for lack of licensing rights (Drinkable:tm: Cola! It's brown, and fizzy, and so extra-freshingly Drinkable:tm:!), Xion swings back to the table while opening up her chocolate pretzels. Finding a red coated sword-person with a big flaming sword miniature in front of her, Xion plants her token onto the board. 'Right - this is a chance to have your characters introduce yourselves and show off a little bit. Everyone filled out a character sheet, right?' "Okay! I've got," Xion picks up her sheet in one hand, and a chocolate pretzel to munch with the other. --ROLEPLAY-- The red-haired red-coated Generic Hero ready to be placed at the center of the boxart pumps an arm before flexing and disregarding narrative contexts to introduce themselves to complete strangers in detail! "I'm Caxim Trislash, the flame blade! I'm an adventurer from a nearby island that was encroached upon by a tidal wave of darkness and washed ashore on the continent, with only the clothes on my back - and this flaming sword belted to my waist!" --REALITY-- No need to pantomime while having a real sword, Xion pops their pretzel treat into their mouth and raises the Kingdom Key dramatically to wave at the ceiling. Taking a second to crunch and swallow, she finally gets to her second part after a beat, then realizes they're not roleplaying they're actually just swinging a sword around. With a dismissing pouf of pale-silver sparkles the Keyblade vanishes, and Xion settles down to shuffle her sheets around and grin at the group. "Sorry, I didn't roll really good I just found a lot written down here." --ROLEPLAY-- The flexing and photogenic Generic androgyne everyperson (red-haired flame sword moron) continues their explanation while 'doing a cool sword thing, with their sword'. "I became a local hero, by using my signature slash to defeat the nearby monsters -- which is actually three slashes!" They are about to show that off when the vile and ugly masked failwizard, GREEN MAGE appears. "Dumb and annoying?" Caxim, the Flame Blade overacts and gestures. "But we are going into battle!" --REALITY-- Xion is taking Petra entirely seriously with her First OC Ever (Human Fighter), though she has to lean around Calvin's bulging necked resistance to look at the Game Master. "I wanted to complain to god or heaven, um, is there a higher power in this setting?"
Angela	When Aidan glances at Angela and Petra... --ROLEPLAY-- "Punch him." Lady Primrose directs towards Fire Punch. --REALITY-- Cinder punches Aidan in the arm obediently without even thinking twice about it. "Yes ma'am." "No, /Cinder/. I was talking in character. Punch him in the realm of imagination." Angela puts on an aggravated sigh and rolls her eyes a bit for effect. "Remember, we are playing in the realm of imagination where anything we say or do is possible." "Oh, right, Sorry." Cinder says. --ROLEPLAY-- Fire Punch punches Aidan...with a fire punch! "I was waiting for someone to tell me to punch someone all day. With my firepunch...!" Cinder exclaims.
Xion	Xion, trying to get more into character, pushes forward her little red model... --ROLEPLAY-- "Stay the fury of your powerful fist, Fire Punch! We can't defeat our own companions-" Caxim the Flame Blade grips their vaguely jacket-leather-armor topped chest in a deep anguish, swishing their perfect red hair three times -- in sadness! "-before we've defeated *evil*! My blade can't rest until my island home is avenged, and so, this encounter with bandits is truly the most important thing - that's going to happen to me!" --REALITY-- Xion sits back with her chocolate pretzels and takes a handful before offering them around. "And then Caxim, like, moves around in pain because of his rampaging heart of justice calling him to both love and defeat what they fear."
Petra Soroka	<"Hi I'm Fire Punch.">     Petra turns to Cinder, offering her from the bag of pretzel sticks that she's taken fully off the table and denied everyone else access to. "Fire Punch is cool. How'd you come up with them?" "How am I doing?"     "I dunno, I've never done this before." Petra pats the top of the Eggpack approvingly. "You're doing great though. I think Primrose is really cool." "Petra,"     Having *one* person here who's holding back laughter (and, equally, Aidan, who's holding back irritation) almost breaks Petra's poker face. She presses the back of her hand into her mouth, exhaling a breath shuddering with silent laughter.     "Y-yeah? What's wrong?" --ROLEPLAY-- <"Well you see I was living in my village with my family when someone came and burned it all down but instead of burning away, I'm just always on fire now.">     "Wow, that really sucks. Do you want me to annoy you for weeks about it?" "Oh my GOD, you're hideous. Haven't you thought of a hair and skin care regimen at all? Pathetic."     "Nooooo, how could you look under my hat and expose yourself to my terrible face! But by the way, you are such a cool and beautiful woman, can I harrass you into participating in one of my stupid and worthless rituals that'll literally take hours before it even starts? That's the only way I ever get to talk to girls!"     <NARRATOR'S NOTE: "And he's like, totally groveling about it. He definitely looks like he doesn't ever talk to women otherwise. On his knees and everything."> "Dumb and annoying? But we are going into battle!"     "That's okay! I'll leave the hard work up to you, Caxim, because you seem way cooler than me! I love your amazing sword, and cool techniques! I'm only here because you can't get rid of me without violating the narrative paradigm that's tautologically determined by all of us being in this scene together!"     <NARRATOR'S NOTE: "I actually rolled super bad, so he might just die in the first encounter.">
Sarracenia	Sarra unfortunately was tied up (not literally) when it came time to save Kale. Hopefully no one read into that, since it is no secret she is not a fan of Kale and Kale is not a fan of hers.      So now, she is playing catch-up, trying to get more details about just what happened last time while trying to fumble through more book reading than she has probably ever done to make a character for a one-off. She also wonders about the game's premise. She shares Futaba's feeling that it seems relevant in a way that may be beyond the game.      She takes time to greet Worldy. "Hello, Worldy! It is good to see you are well! Have you talked with your mothers lately?" she asks while she rummages through the miniatures for a figure she likes. Simple swordsman? No. Mage? No. Rogue? No. Ninja? Certainly not! She grumbles something involving the words 'stupid shuriken' and tosses the figurine away.      But then...she finds one she likes. With an excited 'Ah-hah!' she holds up a tall (relative to the other figurines) demon girl, then reaches into her purse and pulls out...some pocky! Cherry flavor! She pulls out one, snaps it in half, then puts the end one usually holds in the hands of the figurine and places it on the table.      ---ROLEPLAY---      'My name's Niccolo - I'm a merchant who believes every transaction should put a smile on someone's face, don't you know.'      "Greetings, Niccolo! I am the demonic heroine, Lilith~! Do not worry, my kanabo seeks only the souls of monsters and the unjust. Pleased to meet you!"      She then goes back to trying to finish her character sheet. What character class would that be? How does she make sure she can use demon fire and explosive magic and stuff?
Kale Hearthward	> Futaba Nuki/Hayato Bongo > Sarracenia/Lilith "That's... A demon in his arm? And you're a demon? I don't think that's in theme?" says Worldy, trying to pull out one of the sourcebooks they're sitting on to check it, and failing at the jenga-esque maneuver. "Eh, doesn't matter, mwee he he he," says Green Mage. Worldy is now aggroed onto Futaba and Sarracenia. "I'm sure it's against the rules somehow..." > Petra Soroka/Green Mage "That's - I don't- but that's *my* name," says Green Mage, his one big eye frowning over the screen even if Petra can't see the rest of his face. "..." Green Mage is *clearly* considering several retributive approaches here. Lightning striking Petra's character and forcing her to make a new one is always a DMing classic, right? The enemies all just happening to aggro on her and pincushion her full of arrows is another - providing delayed gratification, but more subtly and with a bit of plausible deniability. He's also considering just removing her from the game - but the whole point of this ~~bribe~~ exercise is to get more people playing, and she *is* at least taking part. "Alright, well, Green Mage- ahem, I mean-" --ROLEPLAY-- "Green Mage, nice to meet you. Looks aren't everything, don't you know! I'm sure you'll be a huge asset to our journey!" --REALITY-- > Angel and Cinder/Primrose and Firepunch "Mwe he he, a noble background character, huh. Having to slum it with the chumps. What delicious misery." Green Mage approves! "... If you're on fire, shouldn't you be taking damage? Ah, who cares," he adds, to Cinder. "Fire's great. More things should be lit on fire."
Kale Hearthward	--ROLEPLAY-- Niccolo isn't untrustworthy! He's greedy, a liar, a cheat, annoying, and untrustworthy, but he isn't a creep, dang it. "Whoa, whoever's whispering that, I don't go back on a deal, don't you know." > Calvin Nash/Dale Ironheart the Younger "Ah! I know your father, don't you know. Best rider this side of Fa'Diel. Hoping to make a name for yourself? Well, if you want someone to handle your lunchboxes-" --REALITY-- "- Oh, wait, there aren't lunchboxes here." --ROLEPLAY-- "-handle your... commemorative merchandise, you know the merchant for it, don't you know." Niccolo thumbs at his chest. > Aidan Proudpick/Tempest Dragonfruit "Ah, a retainer of the Empire. Welcome. (Where was the sourcebook for the empire again?)" (Green Mage said that, but forgot to change out of character voice.) "Er- I mean, don't you know!" Then Tempest gets punched. --REALITY-- "Hey! No PVP!" says Green Mage. "We don't have time to adjudicate all of that. Unless you want this to be multi-session?" He looks like he wouldn't actually mind that. He also doesn't comment on Aidan getting punched in real life, so maybe that's more acceptable?
Kale Hearthward	--ROLEPLAY-- > Xion/Caxim Trislash "Oh, slashing *three* times?" Niccolo looks impressed, don't you know! --REALITY-- "Higher powers? There's the lighthouse, and there's - I think there's demons, it's been a while... where's that sourcebook..." Worldy is sitting on it. "Nevermind, but there's actually this entire cool adventure path where you go to hell and interact with the underworld, and - well maybe I'll run that one again sometime. Um - I'll just say yes, you can complain to a higher power. Mwe he he he." "Okay! With introductions done, the group proceeds forwards..." --ROLEPLAY-- ... and it's not long at all before the group's set upon by bandits! Choblins! (They're goblins, but with cat ears. If they weren't currently threatening you, they'd be kinda cute.) "Stand and deliver!" one says! "Your money or your life!" says another. "Ah, these guys mean business, don't you know," says Niccolo, in the back of the group. "I steal from the choblins," says Tall Blue Thief, "Er, I mean:" Blue Thief goes to steal from the choblins. "..." says Red Warrior, taking up a battle stance. Just then - miraculously, Green Mage finds a wand of empowered fireball in a nearby bush! They are now the strongest member of the party, and not useless at all. The choblins advance on the group! Roll for initiative, and show off what you can do in combat!
Futaba Nuki	Futaba's taking notes on how everyone's getting into character. Talking int he first person as a third person seems rather unfamiliar for her, but watching the interaction between Lady Primrose and Fire Punch via Angela and Cinder gets her stroking her chin. "Ohhh... This is like acting, then. Just in a... Over the table kinda way instead." The tanuki leans one way off her seat, then the other, and thens he finally picks out a gumball from her pouch to set on the table. There is a nonzero chance it just rolls off the table entirely within the next five seconds. Petra's not-Green Mage Green Mage has her coughing into her hand once, glancing at Calvin, then looking off in the other direction abruptly. "Geez, Petra. Such a..." She shakes briefly for all of two seconds, then transforms her mouth right off her face. No risk now! Wait, those pretzels look pretty good. Reaching in after Xion, Futaba gets her mouth back on before letting out an intrigued noise. "Oh, dang. That's a cool name... Wait. I gotta-" --ROLEPLAY-- The office worker-turned musician whistles at the Flaming Sword Hero, first at his sword, then at his . "Yo, Caxim! Sick sword. Awesome name. And you, Fire Punch! That sucks, but you look real cool now. Check out my axe, though!" He does a quick guitar solo, and then his demon arm complains about a face rash. It's okay, though, because he gets out one of those rubber finger-protectors and does another, longer guitar solo. "We'll bust a move on those bandits and bust their..." --REALITY-- "Wait. Uh. Should I be using a fake voice, too?" Futaba makes some test noises that go up and down in pitch, but badly. "That's... A demon in his arm? And you're a demon?" "Eh? Oh, nah, nah. The demon's just in his arm, but Hayato's human! A weird and cool one, but totally normal!" She affirms, slapping a hand over her chest for emphasis. "Ninja's honor. Besides, if I wanted to play a demon-" She gestures at Sarracenia with her head. "I'd probably say it like she did. Just... Not a princess or nothin' like that. Something more interesting." Futaba taps her chin lightly as she considers that angle. "Like a... Demon chef. Or a demon sherpa..." --ROLEPLAY-- When the cat choblins show up, Hayato puts on his game face! "You can't steal our money, but we can steal your hearts!" He raises his demon arm with the bass guitar on that side and his electric guitar with his human arm, then starts playing both of them at once! He's real good with his tongue, you know? --REALTY-- Futaba waggles her eyebrows. --ROLEPLAY-- His demon arm's good at using rocks and signposts and stuff for the bass, and they're totally in sync to blow the minds of these bandit catblins!
Aidan Proudpick	--REALITY-- A grin at Sarracenia's use of Pocky to modify her figurine, then a harsh lurch to the side. "OW!" Aidan, not ready for battle at all, gets socked in the arm by a woman who punches for a living. He glares at Angela instead of Cinder. --ROLEPLAY-- Aidan takes another look at Cinder, rubbing his arm. Tempest Dragonfruit staggers back from the mighty blow, caught unawares. He slumps to one knee, groaning in pain from the mighty fiery blow. The blow has struck him in the chest plate, though thankfully it has not dented the perfect armor or singed his beautiful red fur. A graceful move up to his feet, nodding towards the Mighty Hero Caxim. "Yes, the FAR too eager Caxim is correct. We all have a MISSION to work together on," Tempest Dragonfruit lifts his chin, whiskers elegantly shifting in the breeze towards Lady Primrose, "And if we MUST work together, as I assure you I can handle absolutely everything with no one's help, then we should do so without struggle." --REALITY-- A corn chip is waggled in Petra's direction, then at Green Mage, "Just be nice to him! There's no reason to not be nice to him!" Until he starts talking about nobles slumming it with the chumps, making him now frown at Green Mage. "Sourcebook?" Thankfully, it IS in the Secret of Medallion Handbook, so there. He just didn't read it. --ROLEPLAY-- Tempest Dragonfruit strides forward, unsheathing his sword, which is named -VHS PAUSE- The Thorn of Justice. "Stand aside," he says, looking over his shoulder at the others, "You'll just get in the way." Aidan nods over at Futaba. Nice. His face is in concentration, putting a hand on his chin trying to think. -VHS Startup- Tempest draws out his blade, a long schhhhhiiinng of steel. Then, with a mighty step forward, Tempest disappears from sight, too fast to be seen as he appears on the other side of the right choblin, blade swung forward in a harsh cleaving motion. But what's that, the other choblin has a bow on him, Tempest far too busy with his blade to notice!
Petra Soroka	--ROLEPLAY--     Green Mage only finds the wand of fireball because he's running around, like, absolutely terrified of the stupid goblin things. He's like, crying, the moment they appear. It's really sad. But he does find it, because the GM already said he did.     "I'm gonna roll to see if he just falls on top of it, though. Because he's got dogshit balance and really bad dexterity and stuff, so I'll roll that." <DICE ROLLER> Petra Soroka rolled a <19> - 3 = 16!     "Hang on, he's bad enough to have to roll it twice. Let me do the second one." <DICE ROLLER> Petra Soroka rolled a <4> - 3 = 1! "Okay, cool. So he totally just falls on his ass. Does the wand break? Hey, GM, can you roll if the wand breaks? My character's really fat, so it probably should." "Greetings, Niccolo! I am the demonic heroine, Lilith~!"     Petra squints at Sarracenia. "Are you allowed to play that? I don't think that's allowed. You wouldn't be able to do a heroine at all realistically, much less a demon one, because that's like, super complicated. Like, you'd have to have all these feelings about, like-- you know, feeling intrinsically evil, like you're damned metaphorically or literally by the basic context of your own existence, and working against the antisocial compulsions that come to you naturally in order to, like, pursue a version of goodness that you're able to understand. I don't think you have those kinds of thoughts." "Wait. Uh. Should I be using a fake voice, too?"     "Nah, I think doing voices is cringe. Unless you're really good at it."
Angela	--REALITY-- Cinder collects some pretzel sticks, always willing to be meangirl backup for Petra. She unzips the Eggpack and puts a pretzel stick in there so Angela doesn't feel left out. Angela gives Cinder a long look but can't figure out how to articulate her irritation so she lets it be. "Well it's good to give your character a rival, right? If they don't have any antagonists in their life, then they don't have any challenges and well, I didn't have a lot of time so I figured someone who lost their village was feelings I could tap into and work out... ''In Game''." She pauses a moment and adds, "How'd you come up with Green Mage?" Angela gives Petra a thumbsup with one of the Eggpack's hands and draws out a pretzel stick and offers it to her. Mechanically. "Thank you, I tried to incorporate some divergance from the inspiration."--ROLEPLAY-- Fire Punch bursts into tears that, like, totally become gas upon hitting her burning cheeks and drift upward like smoke. "Oh gosssh Caxim... You're so honorable... Not like the mysterious stranger who burned down my village...! If only I could find the Flame Wielding Swordsman who destroyed my people...!" Fire Punch says. "Very well in honor of your noble soul, I will ''not'' punch Aidan. I mean uh. What was it again--" "Tempest." Primrose says. "Tempest...! If only I could control my burning passion..." ''Wow, that really sucks. Do you want me to annoy you for weeks about it?'' "Sure," Fire Punch says dreamily. "You can annoy me as much as you want about it for as long as you want..." Primrose ACHEMS. "Oh right I mean uh. No, gross, that's fucked up." Fire Punch says. ''But by the way, you are such a cool and beautiful woman, can I harass you into participating in one of my stupid and worthless rituals...'' "Well yes, I know that I put a lot of work into my look. I ''suppose'' I must engage in your tedious ritual. Not because it is fun. BUt because it is my duty." Lady Primrose says. -REALITY- "You may be the best Green Mage player I've ever seen roleplayed." Angela says. "Also the only one." Cinder points out. Cinder givses the real Green Mage a thumbsup for declaring more things should be lit on fire. In this, at least, they agree. Angela forgets about the psychic ghost for a moment. She doesn't REALLY forget but she's distracted by being tol that PVP isn't allowed. She frowns. "I suppose you are correct that it would simply add time." Angela sayss, conceding the point. "Anyway, Lady Primrose freezes time and disables a bandit by disarming it and then knocking it over. She doesn't kill, even if it would be sometimes pretty convenient, but I have to respect the character." "Oh yeah I firepunch a bandit nonlethally," Cinder adds. ''He glares at Angela instead of Cinder.'' Angela smirks, just a little.
Petra Soroka	"Just be nice to him! There's no reason to not be nice to him!"     Petra looks at Aidan as innocently as she can manage, which isn't much, because she's also snickering. "Huh? Be nice to who? My character? You know, it's actually *normal* to make a character have flaws. Only someone who's totally, embarrassingly insecure would make a character that could handle a whole fight all on their own, unless they've got really good inspiration like Lady Primrose." "How'd you come up with Green Mage?"     "I guess I'm just inspired." --ROLEPLAY-- <"You can annoy me as much as you want about it for as long as you want...">"     "No, Cinder, that was like--" <"Oh right I mean uh. No, gross, that's fucked up.">     "Okay, yeah, there we go."     "You're so mean for no reason! Uehhhhhh...!!")]     <NARRATOR'S NOTE: "It's like, 'uehhh', like a scream, you know? Like a pig getting stabbed, or something. Some pathetic animal, like that."
Xion	Xion has her hands busy eating sugary pretzels, and despite the ennui of the place sapping at her reality, the bright little game of make-believe is captivating. Even if she can't remember making the sheet. Surely she rolled this up, there's all sorts of wonderful detail on the sheet! Mostly about the sword, and Caxim's perfect hair, and a backstory about an island (that now conveniently doesn't exist)... --ROLEPLAY-- 'That's okay! I'll leave the hard work up to you, Caxim, because you seem way cooler than me!' The tortured Caxim, overcome with emotion about interparty fighting, rises back to their full height after a moment to nobly pose with all the majestic princesses in something in the clearing that, from an overhead shot, will definitely be used for the trailers for the game (that will never happen). "Don't worry, Green Mage. Even though you might not be as cool as me, or as marketable as several other of our party members, I'm sure you'll be," Caxim makes a noble heroine face, filled with overacted determination and rising emotion. "A hero too." While nobly engaging in exaggerated loops of dramatic gusts through their marketable jacket, the noble Caxim gives a standard four-frame nod to Fire Punch, then switches to a standing stance -- with a concerned look. 'Oh no!' Caxim thinks. 'My missing memory, which hadn't come up before but explains my extremely thin backstory, might make me responsible for their village!' --REALITY-- Xion laughs. "Well, we won't get to do more than a oneshot, but oooo," The Nobody extends wiggly fingers as she extends spooky fingers and then dips for a sip of off-brand soda. "Maybe the flame blade really *did* do all that." She finishes with a smirk over the can. --ROLEPLAY-- Thoroughly tortured anew in a marketable androgynous anguish, Caxim bravely recovers from their awful and ultimately fruitless feelings to take a big gulp and perform a cool flexing maneuver. "Thank you! For your comments about my noble soul! I will hope to uphold them, so you continue to have no reason to punch Aidan!" 'Tempest.' "-punch Tempest!" Caxim corrects. "The burning passion is -- your burning heart! You too have a powerful heart which is alight with flame! So," --REALITY-- Xion realizes initiative has been called for. "Cinder, let's do a team up attack!" The noirette calls over the table, waving with her cola. "We definitely get a bonus with a team attack, right?" --ROLEPLAY-- Caxim, the Flame Blade, who is moved onto the combat map, immediately forgets previous roleplay and becomes a stoic combat freak! "I approach the nearest enemy and slash three times." Caxim says. Caxim then approaches the nearest Choblin and slashes three times! "Oh no!" Caxim declares, after their combat turn and a pause for over-table soda drinking. "Green Mage is in trouble! They fell over! You need to hero, Green Mage! Do the right thing!" --REALITY-- "Talking is a free action, right?" Xion asks.
Calvin Nash	--REALITY-- Y-yeah? What's wrong?     No help there. Calvin does an old trick--lean forward in the seat, head down, shade the eyes with the palm to affect the appearance of very intent concentration.     "Nevermind." You wouldn't be able to do a heroine at all realistically, much less a demon one, because that's like, super complicated.      Calvin clears his throat and manages to suppress his laughter with some effort and a gulp. "For me, I just kinda did a guy with a life goal and figured things'd work themselves out from there. Most people you'd end up and call a hero don't know it at the time."      Calvin fumbles the dice and nearly drops them when he does his initiative roll.     --ROLEPLAY-- Your money or your life!     Dale leaps into action, unsheathing his sword!      (Calvin actually does a pretty good job describing an action shot of Dale on horseback in frozen time, enough so that there could be cause to believe he has some experience with real horses.)      He locks blades with one of the choblins from his position on horseback, his higher vantage point and speed allowing him to knock one over, circle back and...     Well, the *intention* was to disarm, but the whims of fate say differently.     "Oops. Sorry, boss," says Dale to a maimed choblin. "I mean, uh, 'my apologies.' But, you know, you did try to rob us and a whole lot of other people, so..." --REALITY-- Talking is a free action, right?     "Wait, we're paying for this?"     Calvin inspects his sheet. "I spent most of my gold on Asskicker." That's the horse.
Aidan Proudpick	Only someone who's totally, embarrassingly insecure would make a character that could handle a whole fight all on their own. "Obviously!" Aidan throws up his hands, trying his best to focus and Petra's interruption driving a wedge of frustration into him, causing him to put a burlap sack over self-awareness' head and kick it out into traffic. "Someone who thinks they can handle something entirely on their own is a dunce. You always need help! Mr. Green Mage, Tempest should get shot in the back with an arrow for not paying attention." "I spent most of my gold on Asskicker." That's the horse. "Wait, we get gold?" --ROLEPLAY-- Also Tempest has a house. A big house. A small castle? No no, a hill side manor, yes. With a garden, but it's a really boring stuffy garden with just hedges and a tree that gets trimmed by someone else.
Sarracenia	---REALITY---      'I don't think that's in theme?'      Sarra waves dismissively of the argument and smiles. "Demons are always in theme, Worldy. Even if they are not in the theme, one can always justify them with dimensional rifts or the like. And besides that, it is a game! It is for fun! So, try not to worry about it, okay?"      Speaking of game...roll? Sarra is still catching up, but rolls as necessary to get the numbers for her character. She hears Petra's introduction of her Green Mage and frowns lightly.      ---ROLEPLAY---      "Well...we are glad for any help you can offer, but you may wish to stay back and out of the way if you are terrible at magic." Lilith says, moving to the front of the party...      ---REALITY---      ...while Sarra solidifies her character's berserker stats. Lots of offense, little defense or armor, with some dexterity because Sarra continues to think big bashing weapons can somehow be graceful.      Sarra takes some of the chocolate pretzels Xion offers and sets them beside her box of pocky to nibble, and takes the time to wave to Calvin and Futaba since she finally has a moment. "Hello, Calvin! Hello, Futaba!" Why is Sarra being so personable today? It might have something to do with what is happening on a planet full of giant flora and fauna where she is being outdone in both socializing -and- provisioning two adorable young space explorer magical girls.      Other snacks and drinks have been provided, but Sarra has a particular taste in drinks and so pull out several cans of grapefruit soda along with straws to help protect one's teeth from the damaging effects of acid. She pops a can open and applies a straw before sipping, looking at Xion with a smile for some reason before returning to the game.      'Lady Commander Primrose'      "Oh! Did you know I used that as an alias while I was in the Watch? No wonder you wanted it as a name." Sarra says with a grin. Angela has been messing with her a lot, and being the petty person she is Sarra takes a chance on trying to get back at Angela at least a bit. And Petra said it was cool, so added bonus!      'How am I doing?'      Angela's bit of roleplay and the question directed at Petra after has Sarra looking a bit flabbergasted. Is Angela serious?      ---ROLEPLAY---      Lilith stares at the Green Mage and those he is talking to. "Are you certain you are all alright in the head?" she asks Green Mage, Primrose, and Fire Punch. Lilith (and her player) are unfamiliar with Dale Ironheart Sr., so they receive only a nod in greeting. But, a demon-possessed musician? That is worthy of attention! I...I mean Lilith approaches the musician and asks, "Your musical prowess is amazing!" ...oh, this is after the demon concert.      ---REALITY---      After which it is Sarra's turn to be red. But, not because of anger or laughter. It is because...people keep doing or saying very suggestive things around her! Still, she can't hold in some laughing at Futaba's eyebrow waggle despite her redness.      ---ROLEPLAY---      Anyway, Lilith approaches Bongo and says, "Your musical prowess is amazing! Would you be able to play an amazingly metal theme song to empower my fighting?" Lilith swings her kanabo around as if it weighs nothing, attacking the choblins. But, since they are cute she tries to just send them flying off into the distance instead of actually killing them. "Your cuteness is no excuse for such thievery! Keep this up and I shall have to get serious!"      She then approaches Tempest and Caxim. "It is good to have so many heroes on this journey! I am certain we will burn away the evil in our path and restore peace to this land! But, no hero can do everything alone, so rest assured you can count on me!"
Sarracenia	---REALITY---      Sarra giggles when Aidan grins at her use of pocky and flinches along with him as he is punched. But, it is only a punch in the arm. Maybe it was one of those friendly punches? Cinder has never struck Sarra as the violent type. "You really should not punch other players, whether in game or not. It is quite rude, you know?"      'You wouldn't be able to do a heroine at all realistically, much less a demon one, because that's like, super complicated.'      Sarra looks slightly overwhelmed by Petra's speech at first, but after some thought she just raises her nose and hmphs at Petra, gazing sidelong at her. "She has already won that battle with herself and realized she has much work to do if she wishes to make a difference in the world, ignoring what others might think of her while doing her best to become that version of goodness that she wants to see in the world. I am more than complicated enough to successfully play such a character. Besides, at least I made a character instead of a spiteful, needlessly mean caricature of someone."
Kale Hearthward	--REALITY-- In addition to the main playing field, there are several other figurines off to the side, on what Green Mage had called the map board. There's a wagon wheel, a small pile of colored blocks, and a mailbox - each one not more than three inches high. As things progress, those three figurines have started to gently glow. It's a gradual and subtle process, and hard to figure out what's causing it - but they're definitely lit up enough for some people to notice by now. --ROLEPLAY-- The chobins get battered by rocks and swords and timestops and windup punches and accidental stabbing and slashing three times and nonlethal firepunches. Hayato's strumming causes damage, as well! It's a magical guitar, maybe? Or it's just an effect of this world. Green Mage's wand breaks, and the resulting explosion causes massive damage to the choblins while miraculously not hurting Green Mage! It's totally how the dice rolled for that, behind this screen here. No you may not see the dice. "Oh, Green Mage! You're the MVP, don't you know!" says Niccolo. "The coolest character! I mean person." "Uehhhhh... they're too strong!" says one of the choblins. "Boss! Come help us!" And then, a gigantic bug monster with blades for arms comes flying out of a nearby cave. "Yeah! Boss is here! "Boss! Help us!" The gigantic bug monster lands with enough force to send the choblins tumbling down the side of the path. "Bosssss....!" one calls as they exit the scene. The giant boss monster advances, arm-blades out and slashing! The fight is reaching its zenith! --REALITY-- > "We definitely get a bonus with a team attack, right?" "Yes!" says Green Mage, at the same time Worldy says "No." "Wait, that's not a rule-" says Worldy. "Nevermind that - team attacks! Combo layups! Ultimate strikes! Get into it, mwe he he he!
Angela	"Yes Aidan. We should strive to stay in character as much as possible. I've chided Cinder to do the same, so you should as well." Angela says. ''Unless they've got really good inspiration like Lady Primrose.'' "Her weakness...is that she cares too much." Angela says, eyes closed. ''Maybe the flame blade really *did* do all that.'' "I guess we'll never know for sure, unless we continue the story." Cinder says. "But sometimes it's nice leaving a little mystery. AFter all, maybe it was some other flame swordsman. We might never know.--but gosh, Xion, you're really good at this." When Xion suggests doing a teamup attack, Cinder brightens immediately. "Oh hell yeah...! Flame Blade and FIre Punch--it's a match made ... heh... a ''match'' made in heaven." ''Talking is a free action, right?'' "It seems so, judging from experience." Angela says though it's completely unclear if she actually knows what Xion meant there or took another interpretation entirely. ''Someone who thnks they can handle something entirely on their own is a dunce.'' "So what exactly is TEmpest's character flaw again?" Cinder asks. ''Oh! Did you know I used that as an alias--'' "I did not know." Angela says. "I am glad you put about an hour and a half's worth of thought into your alias." Angela is successfully annoyed but she's quite capable of snapping back in any circumstance. While Elites were mastering the Blade, Angela was sharpening her sass. ''The giant boss monster advances.'' "This is it... This is our chance to double attack...! Let's go for a CROSS STRIKE TRIPLE X TRIPLE TECHNIQUE." Cinder is kind of getting into this at this point, largely thanks to Xion going along with her weird random backstory. --ROLEPLAY-- Angela isn't very good at describing sword techniques--her description is something akin to 'swinging sword three times' not like Mixac. But Cinder positions her character to one side and Fire Punch yells, "DOUBLE TECH...WITH THE CIXAM! Who definitely maybe didn't burn my village down... Triple Fire Punch... X Triple Flame Blade!"
Petra Soroka	"Mr. Green Mage, Tempest should get shot in the back with an arrow for not paying attention."     "Oh, is that a rule? Is that how it works now?" Petra leans forwards, smirking a bit. "I'll keep that in mind for when you do dumb shit like that yourself." "I spent most of my gold on Asskicker."     "Oh, sick-ass name for a horse. That's cool as hell." Petra squints down at her character sheet, which isn't well filled-out at all. "I... don't remember if I spent my gold. But my character sucks and doesn't deserve any, anyways." "I am more than complicated enough to successfully play such a character."     In spite of Sarracenia getting snooty in response to Petra, it turns out, her speech was only possible because it came from a sincere place, so responding sincerely is actually a positive mark in her mind. She folds a forearm across the table and braces herself on an elbow, leaning in in Sarra's direction.     "Is it a battle you can 'win', though? It's not like you ever stop being born the way you were born, and you can't just ignore what people think, like you don't live in a society with them. I mean, it's definitely not what *I* would write, but I guess the sort of 'redeemed evil heroine' thing sort of works, if you make it *just* about the literal, like, demon heritage whatever, instead of about any way she personally feels."     "And anyways. I'm a *good* writer. I just wouldn't bother for this." "We definitely get a bonus with a team attack, right?"     "Oh, that'd be cute! You should get a bonus for that. This game's totally bullshit if you don't." "Wait, that's not a rule-"     "Nah, Worldy, none of the rules are real," Petra says sagely. "This isn't like a real game, with structure. It's just about how you can talk over other people and if you do it insistently enough then you get stronger. Like, see?" --ROLEPLAY--     Green Mage gets up after the explosion, because he's launched straight to his feet by it, so he gets a surprise round on the big bug monster. He looks too pathetic to actually be a threat, so it doesn't notice him even though everything's on fire now, so he gets a punch in totally free. And even though he's super weak, the roll was super good and it hit right between the bug thing's armor shell.     "Pow!!!! You wouldn't kill me, the helpless little Green Mage, right?" --REALITY--     "And that's how you do it." Petra leans back in her chair, then puffs in annoyance and stands up. "I'm gonna go outside to smoke; if my turn comes up while I'm gone, you can just do it for me."
Aidan Proudpick	It strikes Aidan first. A glance. A furrow of the brows. He presses his palms flat against the table and stands up taller, dumping corn chips out of the way. Diet RC Cola hits the floor and fizzes out. His tail flicks high up into the air, twitching erratically. Eyes bright and eager. Petra "I'm talking about the story, getting shot by the enemy," Aidan waves a hand, but then glances down at the map. He doubles down. "It's so Tempest learns the importance of teamwork! You can only do so much by yourself." Cinder brings it up again, but Aidan isn't going to back down. He's on the verge of something. Tempest Dragonfruit takes an arrow just up and under the rib, just where his armor doesn't reach but his sculpted stomach starts. Not full abs, but that kind of just slight definition and lean muscle. He clutches the wound, blood starting to sip through his fingers, though not staining the fur. A cracking snap of the shaft of the arrow at the head, a seething draw in of breath through fanged teeth. Tempest's eyes fall on the Fire Punch and Axcim's teamwork, two souls uniting not only in a common goal but their common background. Another seeth of anger, of frustration. "I have to join together with others. I have to be able to open my heart to those around me so I can help people!" Dramatically, Tempest throws an arm towards Lady Lilith, "You! You've conquered the demon within you! Can you teach me to conquer the demons within so I can serve my people better!" He throws an arm towards Dale Earnhardt Son of Dale Earnhardt. "And you!" -VHS Pause- Okay no wait, Tempest probably wouldn't be open yet to Dale's clear living in the father's shadow issues. "We need your speed!" Tempest sags dramatically, "I can't beat this without you both, wounded as I am."
Sarracenia	---REALITY---      Sarra, who loves all things sparkly and shiny, notices the glowing pieces fairly quickly. "Ooooh. Our pieces can glow?" She looks at hers to see if it is glowing, only to look disappointed when hers isn't. "Well, that is no fun. Why are only the pieces that do not do anything glowing?" The princess does not really understand what the significance of pieces on a map board might be. She can however appreciate the Green Mage using his DM powers to make Green Mage the coolest character in the game. She can't help a bit of a snicker and a glance at Petra.      ---ROLEPLAY---      As the poor creatures are dispatched even by their boss, Lilith exclaims, "Foul monster! How could you do that to your own followers! You shall pay!" Lilith leaps upward, going into a somersault that carries her and her kanabo into the giant monster. And, with a powerful downward swing, she tries to smash its face in! Gold is of little consequence when facing down a monster to protect the lives of the people of the realm, like a proper hero should! Without even worrying about gold or rewards!      ---REALITY---      "Wait, we can do team attacks?" Sarra asks, then looks at Aidan, then...      ---ROLEPLAY---      "..."      ---REALITY---      Sarra can't think of a team attack on the fly, not really knowing her own character's powers very well much less Aidan's or anyone else's. And she already attacked, anyway. So, she huffs softly and crosses her arms to wait for the results of her action. And to admire Xion's work! "Cinder is right. You are quite good at this, Miss Xion! Are you part of a thespian group?" Sarra asks.      'I am glad you put about an hour and a half's worth of thought into your alias.'      "Oh dear." Sarra says, covering her mouth and giggling a bit. "Did you put that much thought into your character's name?" Sarra tsks in mock sympathy. Apparently she thinks an hour and a half is a long time to think about what name to pick and thus it means she made Angela think she wasted time on it. Which is a victory! Hahaha!      'Is it a battle you can 'win', though?'      Sarra mmphs softly. "...I suppose there are always rematches that must be fought every now and then. Victory is possible, but always at risk of being undone. But, you can learn to use what you were born with to do some good instead of frivilously wasting it all the time. And, I quite like redemption stories. Some of the best heroes are those that were once villainous. Because they understand some if not all of the harm their previous actions brought."      'And anyways. I'm a *good* writer. I just wouldn't bother for this.'      "Would you not? I suspect that genre of writing might apply to some of your closest friends." Sarra says as Petra stands to leave, eyes drifting toward the Eggpack and words carrying implications that reach father even than that.      'Tempest throws an arm towards Lady Primrose, "You! You've conquered the demon within you!"      Sarra looks a bit exasperated at this. She is playing as a demon, here! And friends before fiends! She lets out a squeak of confused frustration while gesturing at her piece and looking at Aidan, then...sighs and just slumps back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest. "...his name is Ironheart..." she says, pouting.
Xion	'Wait, we're paying for this?' "Huh?" Xion asks, frowning confusedly. Hunched over the table, the Nobody looks up Calvin, and then down at her sheet. "I just spent all my starting budget on sword stuff and ran out, so I just decided to get the rest if it was described." "Does your horse not like donkeys?" Xion wonders, thoughtful for a moment. Then, clearing her head, she explains more patiently with a smile. "Free, like, as an action? If we're taking turns, do we have to wait to talk or can we just keep doing things that aren't game actions until our turns come up. Makes sense, right? We get to go, then they get to go, then--" Xion tumbles a gesture with a flourish of fingers down to the game table. "It's a game, right?" 'But sometimes it's nice leaving a little mystery. AFter all, maybe it was some other flame swordsman. We might never know.--but gosh, Xion, you're really good at this.' Xion laughs and bounces the empty soda can on her knee, setting it aside beside her and leaning in over her sheet to pick up dice. "It's easier, because I have a lot of other people's memories, but this is the true 'mind of the battlefield' they talk about on those awesome old movies!" Xion means old karate movies. --ROLEPLAY-- Not able to move back - because it's not Caxim's turn and thus they're completely stationary on the field - the bravely boxart Caxim holds out their flaming longsword out in a two-handed pose, squaring off against the revealed boss and swaying eyes between the assembled party members in vague initiative order. A teamup attack had fuzzy timing, though, so-- --REALITY-- Xion starts flipping through book pages, not quite sure where the rules are, but when Petra supports her and the GM goes for it, Xion reaches in to pick up her token and advance it on the field to flank with the (ugly) Green Mage and Cinder! "Alright. I bet we get a lot of bonuses, and, since Petra's going to go out and smoke--" Xion shifts over and traverses the table and pick up Petra's set of dice. There might be something more going on, or a reasonable conversation to have, or a deep and soulful moment to make -- in a moment! Sneak attack dice need to get rolled first! "Uhh--" Xion leads in. --ROLEPLAY-- "Whether or not I destroyed your village. . ." Caxim's perfect hair flutters in their pre-attack posture. "Isn't important now. All that matters-- is this ultimate sword technique!" Dashing up besides Fire Punch's hurtling fist, Caxim ignites their blade in a twirl off the flame punch, which draws fiery energy into a raised up power stance in a leaping helm splitter strike. "The ultimate technique of the san-ken-ryu school of the blade explosion! Three Times Slashing - Burning Infinity!" Caxim cries, very powerfully, as they-- --REALITY-- Xion shuffles papers. "Okay, so, because I get sneak attack on this, and elemental affinity bonus with Fire Punch in team attack, and because Green Mage broke a fire-aspected artifact this encounter, and because it's my first attack against this enemy I get Exploding Draw Cut, and Magus Arcana multiclassing for elemental touch, so," Xion looks up from her mess of papers and sheets and notes. "I, uh, attack three times. But each time? I'm slashing three times." She draws out a wargaming tower of dice and uncaps it. "Here's my damage." And then dice clatter to table.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan is in the middle of basically climbing up onto the table, moving pieces around. He is more and more animated, one knee up on the table, tail flicking around as he moves his piece. He stops mid narration, holding a finger up at Green Mage before looking over at Sarra, "What? Oh! Sorry, I was thinking about your Watch name. Of course, Lilith heroically defeated the demons within herself, now she can help others teach-" Aidan slams his hand down into the wave three hundred and sixty dice that flow onto the table like an avalanche and slips fully forward, face down in a small lake of dice.
Futaba Nuki	"Nah, I think doing voices is cringe. Unless you're really good at it." Grinning widely, Futaba clears her throat lightly. "Yeah? Well, prepare to be dazzled. You've heard plenty of my voices before, so..." She trails off with that confident air practically radiating off of her, apparently not realizing that every single attempt at imitating an animal, a machine, and pretty much anyone has been uniformly terrible. This time, of course, is no different. --ROLEPLAY-- "Oh no, Green Mage! Get up, little buddy!" Hayato offers his hand to the toppling green guy, straining as far as he can while fending off the horde of bandits ganging up on him before the big boss shows up. He has to strain his arms up high to make sure that the tunes keep flowing, too, sending out magic waves of musical might to blast them full of rock and- --REALITY-- "Oh! Thanks, Xion. Thanks, Sarra. Sweet, love this stuff~" Futaba takes some of those chocolate pretzels and pocky sticks gratefully, playing with her food a bit as she shoves a pocky stick through the pretzel holes and spins it around a bit. She munches on the pretzels first, then eats the empty stick section of the pocky to leave the rest of the chocolate-covered end for last. As she eats, Futaba settles in, content to listen to the story being crafted by the whole group. "Caring too much, huh? Dang, that's good..." Futaba nods slowly in agreement with Angela, closing her eyes as well and chuckling lightly after a second. "Kinda reminds me of some folks I know, even. You know anyone like that, Miss Angela?" About halfway into hearing about how the fight goes, however, Futaba realizes she's just been eating this whole time and sits forward again whiel smacking her chest a few times to stop choking on pretzels and pocky. --ROLEPLAY-- "We're strong, but you can be strong, too. Just tune your heartstrings to something besides banditing!" Hayato beckons the choblins, trying to rally them out of their lives of crime and banditing. He hears the big boss bug before he sees it thanks to his years of musical practice, though, and he already has some sick guitar riffs going like the start of an epic boss battle. --REALITY-- "There should totally be a bonus. Combo attacks always hit harder than solo attacks, even in real life." Futaba explains to Worldy with her usual grin, leaning over to turn her hands into a miniature sword and hammer. "Like, I could cut someone with a sword, and Sarra here could slam 'em with a hammer, but imagine slammin' my sword into them with the hammer. Or cutting the hammer so it..." Wait. That's a bad example. "... Imagine hammerin' the spot that got cut. Even deeper than either one on their own, y'know?" --ROLEPLAY-- Hayato continues pumping out hit after hit as the battle against the big bug begins, playing in harmony with his demon arm to send wave after wave of musical magic at it. The notes come out like a missile swarm, swirling all over the place around his friends to cover their approach and coming into the giant mantis' face all at once. --REALITY-- Futaba goes quiet, then turns away and starts snickering while trying to look like she isn't. It takes her a while to settle back down, then turns back to the table again. --ROLEPLAY-- The notes reach a crescendo as Caxim's and Fire Punch's fiery fury rain down on the big bug, opening up weak and super flammable spots on the bug so when it explodes, it explodes SUPER hard! And when it looks like the explosions are settling down, the camera zooms out for an even bigger explosion later when everyone turns away! --REALITY-- "Wait. Is that too... Makin' your characters do stuff?" Futaba clears her throat again, then settles back in her seat while looking like she a dog that just ate someone's treasured possession. "Ergh... Sorry."
Petra Soroka	"Some of the best heroes are those that were once villainous."     "Mmm, mhm. I don't trust any hero that isn't a little bit evil." Petra nods, sounding completely serious. "I don't trust anyone who's 'always been on the right side', you know? Because then-- I mean, for a character, it makes them super boring, but in real life, it means I just don't believe that they ever really had to form an opinion on why they're on the side that they're on, or what could make them change that. It's not really that different for people and characters." "I suspect that genre of writing might apply to some of your closest friends."     Petra, halfway out the door to go on her smoke break, lingers for a moment and turns her head back to Sarra. "Huh? It applies to me, idiot. I meant that I wouldn't bother caring much about my writing for this dumbass game, because it's not real writing."
Calvin Nash	REALITY Nevermind that - team attacks! Combo layups! Ultimate strikes! Get into it, mwe he he he!     Calvin rubs his chin and frowns thoughtfully. What would that even look like? It's obvious to him that he's drawing from different cultural inspirations than the others. He stifles a snort as he thinks of Petra's 'character,' and for a moment the struggle not to laugh is back. Oh, sick-ass name for a horse. That's cool as hell.     "Thanks."     His thoughts wander to a horse he knows personally and the effect of that horse's hind leg on the cranium of a certain demon. Hey, maybe that's something! ROLEPLAY     Inspired by the CROSS STRIKE TRIPLE X TRIPLE TECHNIQUE, Dale lifts his sword high, his horse rearing up triumphantly before charging towards The Boss! Asskicker turns, Dale leans down and-- REALITY     "--drags his sword 'cross't the ground like this here, *whhsht,*" Calvin narrates, indicating with his index finger-- ROLEPLAY --sending up a spray of earth into the monster's eyes before a sharp turn puts the horse's hind legs facing the monster. "This oughta do it! Hyah!" A double-legged buck is coaxed from the animal, powerful hind legs kicking The Boss squarely in the face! REALITY     Calvin clears his throat. "You know, the 'hyah' thing, that's mostly just in stories and stuff. Usually it's clicks or something that won't scare the horse none."     "But it sounds cool, so, you know."
Kale Hearthward	--REALITY-- > "Nah, Worldy, none of the rules are real," > "This isn't like a real game, with structure. It's just about how you can talk over other people and if you do it insistently enough then you get stronger." "Ah. I see. It is... a social game, like the prisoner's dilemma, with cooperation and defection as approaches to the ruleset, and unconditional cooperation is not the predominant strategy. Insistence on rule bending and perhaps outright cheating on occasion are how to get the best experience for yourself. Maybe using a calculated optimal Zero Determinant EXTORT-n strategy model..." Worldy starts doodling logic grids on some scratch paper, and ends up missing their turn. > "And anyways. I'm a *good* writer. I just wouldn't bother for this." Petra leaves. Green Mage (the real one) doesn't make any move to stop her. "I'll take care of taking her turns for her, then," says Green Mage. > "You know, the 'hyah' thing, that's mostly just in stories and stuff. Usually it's clicks or something that won't scare the horse none. But it sounds cool, so, you know." "And it sounds cool, and that's what's important. Mwe he he he he." > "Wait. Is that too... Makin' your characters do stuff?" "The decision tree says you probably could have done a triple quadruple attack without hurting your long term prospects by more than zero point two N." --ROLEPLAY-- Caxim comes in with the sneak attack fire affinity triple triple slash maneuver, comboed with Fire Punch's fire punch and Hayato's combat music. (Green Mage eyeballs the tower of dice. "Looks about right, mwe he he he he.") Dale Ironheart the Younger comes in with the dirty fighting trick, and then the followup sword slice, adding to the carnage along with everyone else. It's a hard-pressed battle, but at the end, the party is still standing, while the boss monster bug collapses into a pile of loot and experience points. With the boss defeated, the road is once again clear. "Great job! I knew I could count on all of you, don't you know." Niccolo rounds up the group together. "Alright, as promised, your payment: a discount at my store!" The rabbit merchant clasps his hands together. "Ten percent off! Aren't I generous?" And then Niccolo starts trying to sell the group some crafting items. "If you buy in bulk, you're saving money, so it's like you're actually earning money, don't you know!" Niccolo's motto is every transaction should put a smile on someone's face.
Kale Hearthward	--REALITY-- "And that's the end of the quest. Mwe he he he. In addition to the discount at the store, Niccolo gives you this strange artifact... hang on, I've got one here..." Green Mage reaches under the table and pulls out a figurine depicting a lit brazier. "The Flame Artifact! You can use this to configure the map for the next adventure - if you want to keep going. Though for now..." He unlocks the cabinet, and gives the group the last blue door chunk. "The door leading to Gold Pig got broken up so nobody could follow him. You'll need the other two chunks to put the door back together." Fortunately you already have the other two chunks. One was in the castle, and the other one was in Orange's lab. "And... Ah, these are nearly done." Green Mage reaches across the table and picks up the wheel, colored blocks, and mailbox figurines. They're all glowing fairly brightly now. "Take these with you, too. They might come in handy in a desperate situation. You'll know what to do with them when the time comes, I imagine. Mwe he he he he he he."
Angela	''Did you put that much thought into your character's name?'' "Name. General concept. Because I had a approximately that long to come up with a character." Angela says. "Technically I had less time but my brain works a thousand times faster than yours. It's only a hundred times faster a normal human mind, of course." ''You! You've conquered the demons within you!'' "What are you talking about?" Angela asks, not nearly as willing to go with the flow as Cinder. It's not more powerful than her utter bewilderment. Then she remembers this is Aidan and he just sometimes say shit. "There is no time to pvp, so let us say that there was a pvp combat where you got smakced around a bit." She decides this happens in her version of the roleplay which is more real and true than the actual version of hte roleplay. But the truth is, she can't really help but notice the story's similarities with that of what happened when they only had ONE SHOT to save Niko. Well, technically they had TWO SHOTS to save Niko. Nevertheless, while she knew there was a common thread linking that world and this one, she can't help but wonder where all the commonalities lead. SUrely all these threads are leading to something, Angela's fond of puzzles mind tells her. ''I don't trust anyone who's always been on the right side, you know?'' "Mm." Angela Mms her agreement. She knows Petra and LIlian have admitted to being on the wrong side in the past. And Persephone ... .... ........... Well Persephone's on her side at the moment, which is on the wrong side. Other than that she has no idea. It is, of course, the right wrong side to be on though. ''You know anyone like that, Miss Angela?'' "I know ... so many people like that." Angela says offhandedly to the ninja. ''Anyways I'm a good writer. I just wouldn't bother for this.'' "I always would like to see your work."Angela says, more directedly while Cinder is beaming at Petra for liking the TEAM ATTACK. And also telling Worldy that rules are fake, which is not fake she's pretty sure. Cinder gets up to join Petra on her smokebreak and accidentally forgets the Eggpack, leaving Angela stuck on the chair!. "Oop! Let me join ya!" Did you know that SMOKING is addictive??
Sarracenia	Aidan corrects himself and Sarra perks up immediately. "Oh! In that case..."      ---ROLEPLAY---      Lilith lands after her attack and looks toward Ai-..er...Tempest. "No. Demons cannot be conquered. But, I can teach you how to make them an ally so that their power is channeled into something-"      ---REALITY---      'Aidan faceplants in dice'      Sarra blinks in surprise. "Are you alright?" she asks, then blinks again. "Oh, uh..."      ---ROLEPLAY---      "-into something good!" Lilith exclaims, holding out a hand toward the heroic fox with the amazing red fur and the dazzling smile!      As the beast is defeated and Niccolo declares their reward, Lilith laughs a bit and smirks. "Yes, quite generous. Of course, a hero needs no reward for a good deed. Which is why...I have no money~" she says. Of course, there is loot! So, perhaps she and Niccolo can work something out.      ---REALITY---      'Huh? It applies to me, idiot. I meant that I wouldn't bother caring much about my writing for this dumbass game, because it's not real writing.'      Sarra is caught off-guard by this. They were having some sort of serious moment! She ends up staring for a few moments before huffing in annoyance. "Whatever." she mutters.      Cinder gets up, and...the Eggpack is left?! Sarra's eyes lock on to it, then an eyebrow raises. She looks toward the door, then back at the pack, then... she can't hide the devilish smirk that appears on her face.      She stands up non-challantly. "My, that was quite an engaging game, Green Mage! It is unfortunate that we may never get to play again." she says, stretching her arms over her head and slowly walking around the table toward the pack.      Until she is directly over it, her lovely face filling the camera. "Oh! Why, hello Angela~ Imagine finding you here! All by yourself~!" Sarra has such a diabolical plan for this.      She pulls out...a tanuki-suit power-up. "Here, perhaps this will help keep you warm!" she says with a grin and presses it to the eggpack. In a puff of smoke...Angelapack is now in an Eggpack-sized tanuki suit onesie, with the hood fitted around the screen! And Sarra quickly has her phone out and is taking pictures! "Oh, so cute~! It really 'suits' you! Will you want copies of these distributed to your friends?"
Futaba Nuki	--ROLEPLAY-- "I can't afford any of this stuff." Hayato announces proudly to Niccolo, satisfied about a job well done both now and in the past when he bankrupted his company. "Unless you'll take an... Alternative kind of payment?" He asks in a low, quiet voice, going up to Niccolo with slightly narrowed eyes and a coy smile as he leans in real close. "Something like..." Another guitar solo to celebrate everyone's victory. Nothing else happens, because Hayato's here for experience and the exposure! --REALITY-- "Phew... How's that for a first session?" Futaba claps her hands together as she settles back down in her seat, turning her hands back into hands. Gawking at the brazier figurine, she lets out an intrigued 'oooooh' and cranes (and extends) her neck a bit to get a better look at it from more angles. "Wonder what kinda place this would pull up for us..." Alas, there's still more important things to focus on, and she sits up straighter when Green Mage brings out hte blue door chunk. "Broken, eh? That explains why it was all.. Yeah, busted up when we found it.  But this should do the trick!" Noticing the glow to those figurines, she glances towards the rest of the group before shrugging and reaching for the mailbox. Something about them reminds her of... Not her home, but someone's home! Maybe a friend's place. Hypothetically, anyway. "The sharp corners could do an number on someone... Heh. We'll figure it out, yeah."
Angela	Angela is alone... ''Imagine finding you here! All by yourself~!'' "Sarracenia. You best not be..." Sarracenia pulls out a tanuki-suit power up, the most horrifying thing she could have revealed. "I will not appreciate it and I had imagined you--" *POOOOF!!* The Eggpack is now properly Tanukied. It IS cute! It's very cute! Angela can't see how cute it is, of course since the Eggpack's screen would have to swivel around and even then it wouldn't be able to get a perfect look. But even if she could, she wouldn't be, because she's too busy lashing out with the Eggpack's arm, intending to SQUEEZE her throat with mechanical strength. "...." Angela doesn't say anything. She just stares at Sarracenia as she grips. It was automatic, like catching oneself in a fall.
Calvin Nash	The door leading to Gold Pig got broken up so nobody could follow him. You'll need the other two chunks to put the door back together.     "Thanks." All things considered this could have been a lot more intolerable. It was still mildly irritating--enough of an imposition that he found Petra's mockery of Green Mage funny, and making him agree with her is itself a bit of an imposition, especially since it's moderately harder to stay annoyed with her as a result.     Is he going to stay? "I got to get goin'--spinnin' a lotta plates right now. Thanks for havin' us." <J-IC-Scene> Aidan Proudpick says, "Dibs on the blocks!" <J-IC-Scene> Sarracenia says, "You cannot call dibs! They are a reward for the group! ...but if we are allowing dibs I am taking the wheel."     "Not happening," says Calvin flatly, drawing a flat palm across his chest in the classic gesture of negation.     "Custody. Not ownership. We're not allowin' dibs on something all of us earned. I'll take care of the mailbox, and I'll let y'all take care of the blocks and the wheel, but if the time comes where we gotta use one, that's up to everybody." He takes it from the table having appointed himself its caretaker, (reaching past Futaba to do so) then points admonishingly at Aidan on his way out for good measure.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia -was- expecting some sort of extreme reaction, but not quite this! Those arms lash out, and Sarra manages to get one of her hands in to prevent complete strangulation. Even while being choked, Sarra is still smiling and strangled-laughing. She keeps the phone out of reach, but turns it so the last picture she took is visible to Angela. "Look how cute you are~" she manages, words raspy and broken.      Then, Sarra hits the 'save to cloud' button for good measure and laughs some more before slipping the phone back into her purse. She even waves to Calvin as he leaves. Do not mind her~ Just getting choked after revenge was had~      Her vision is getting a little blurry though, so Sarra figures she should actually fight back now. She pulls out a red mushroom, and she grows to a few times her size and strength, which should allow her to remove the robotic grip of the Eggpack and place Angela safely back in her seat. Still in the tanuki suit.      Sarra then takes a few steps back to ensure a safe distance before pulling out a small hammer and bonking herself on the head lightly, breaking the red mushroom power-up and returning her to normal. "Had imagined I was what? Above such things? Would not want to use a power-up on my enemies? Heehee~ No such luck~ Now...what should I do with these pictures?" she says, pulling out her phone again. "I am sure Petra, Lilian, and Cinder would all think they were quite cute~"      Sarra is smiling like the proverbial cat who got the canary. "And, do not feel bad if you actually enjoy it~! I could have one sent to L Corp for you to enjoy properly~"
Angela	''Look how cute you are~'' Angela squeezes more tightly. She keeps on squeezing until she consumes a mushroom that allowes her to grow too large for the Eggpack's claw. Angela pulls the claw back. She knew, of course, that killing Sarracenia with a device that is primarily for communication would be difficult but in the moment all she wished to do was squeeze. "Do you think I am so attached to the Concord that I will not kill your parents and your people?" Angela asks. "Do you think Lobotomy Corp will stop me from dropping Melting Love into your kingdom? Do you think anyone would defend it besides Aidan? Or perhaps he even knows better than to do so. I would enjoy watching them melt. I would enjoy hearing their bones dissolve. I would be absolutely ecstatic to leave you the last of your people." Angela moves closer to the screen and says, "Binah works for me now." She says. "She can unlock any door, she can unlock and close off any mind--any pieces of the mind. I can reprogram you more surely than any programmer could reprogram me. Or perhaps I should grow a Sarracenia of our own. You've been on campus. I'm sure we have plenty of material to grow one of you and we can torment her endlessly for the rest of the energy that we need. Yes, perhaps something that can carry your shape. Perhaps take your place? Would anyone notice? Would anyone care?")] She leans back. "I will destroy you, Sarracenia. You only need wonder which of the many methods I have at my disposal I ultimately choose. I will pay the price I must, Sarracenia. Remember that as you giggle and scheme your meaningless little plots.")]
Sarracenia	Sarracenia knew Angela would hate the tanuki suit. She even expected some threat or another. But...she was not expecting a vow of such complete and utter destruction. She looks a little unnerved. "Wow. Overreact much? Do you think that the Concord would stand by and let you do that? Do you -really- think that no one at all would come to stop the complete destruction of my kingdom over something as petty as a few cute, embarrassing pictures? Do you think you would actually be able to escape your own prison if you exposed your existence in such a way? Is that not why you told the Combaticons not to fly over your City?"      She puts her phone away again, a slight frown on her face now. "Was it not you, just a day or two ago, who said an eye for an eye makes the world go blind and who has told me in the past not everything needs to be escalated? I see that only applies when convenient, hm? You would sacrifice your entire future just to get back at me...for this? If so, you belong in that hole with those other monsters and insane creatures."      Sarra turns to leave after that, rubbing at her neck. Those will be visible marks later if they are not already. Angela did at least accomplish the goal of removing the enjoyment from Sarra's prank.
Angela	''Do you think that the Concord would stand by and let you do that?'' Angela says, "Yes. But they may punsih me after it is done." Angela says. "But by that point... It is done, is it not?" Angela has no words for the accusation of hypocrasy because the words 'This is This and That is That' are instinctually in her lexicon, even if she has never heard the phrase herself. Not yet.