Anyway, you transport everyone to the Amber kitchens.  It takes several
jumps, which is a bit tiring, but you get everyone there without causing
Chef Bork to have a complete heart attack.

Hiko the Firechilde arrives in the fire place, Lonz in tow, and shoves him
out of the fireplace, going back methodically for Funaho, then Corrine.

Okay, you're at the castle.  What now?

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'll be in the Library should you need me." 
She turns abruptly and sets off in search of Travis.

Looks like the cooks are making breakfast.

Corrine smiles a bit, and nods.  "Be sure to check for Juri's wedding
present..." She snatches some quick breakfast, and then leads off Funaho
and Lonz to find Yuriko.

Hiko the Firechilde stalks off, her heels making a clicking sound on the
marble hallways as she goes to the Royal Libraries.

The Royal Libraries are much as you last saw them, except for a larger
number of books piled everywhere.  Travis is seated at a table, reading a
book and taking notes as Snickers sits in a chair and munches on a bowl of
some sort of dry, crunchy food.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Hello, Travis.  What do you have for me?"

Her voice is polite, if curt.

He starts.  "Not much, I'm afraid.  The Queen has had me collecting lore
on several items in the vaults no one can recognize, and that's kept me
busy.  I do have two things, though."

Hiko the Firechilde nods.  "And?"

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Which items?"

He rises, then pauses to pour a bowl of milk for Snickers, who ignores all
other life and keeps eating.

Then he heads off into the stacks.  "Let's see, where did I put these..."

Hiko the Firechilde pets Snickers as she waits.  "How have you been?"

"Hungry, but good," Snickers says.

"Now, now, I gave you a full bowl," Travis says from inside the stacks. 
"Ahh, here we go."  He returns with a book and a scroll.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "And Juri-san mentioned that she had a wedding
present for Miki-san?"

Travis blinks.  "She sent you to get it?"

He takes off his glasses and polishes them, then puts them back on.  "I
can get them if you want."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "She may not be here to receive it.  She's busy
off in Shadow recruiting a navy."

Travis cocks his head.  "Um, so what are you asking me, then?"

He sounds confused.

Shizumaru OOCly stops logging here, and heads off to bed.
Leather Knight Kasumi says, "OOC Sleep well and wake, as the Aiel would
say."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "If I can get them, so I can give it to Miki-san
in her place."

"Oh, _right_" he says.  "Hold on, let me show you these two things, then
I'll go get the books."  He puts the first book down.  "Queen Anthy dug it
out of the crates of old stuff belonging to the King for me.  It's a
collection of notes he made on the Prophecies."  He puts it to one side. 
"And this..."  He unrolls the scroll.  "Was made by your grandmother. "

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Queen Haruka?  She who wielded the Cup?"

The scroll shows a five pointed star with a single word at each point.  In
order as one goes round-- Fire, Wood, Air, Metal, Water, then back to
Fire.

The scroll is covered with versions of this rotated into different
positions, but always in the same order.

Hiko the Firechilde murmurs, "Heart, Seed, Bag, Sword, Cup... then Fire."

Travis nods.  "Yes, Queen Haruka of Harad.  We have crates and crates of
random scribblings of hers tucked away in the basement.  But I remembered
this one the other day."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "A cascade of power...?"

Corrine OOCly says, "Damn, mom had ALL the cool toys... ^_^"

Travis says, "I believe this was the version of the Wheel of Elements she
used in her personal magical workings.  If you look down in this corner,
they're drawn as a circle with arrows."

Fire-->Wood-->Air-->Metal-->Water-->Fire again

"They say she was quite the sorceress," Travis says, then reaches over to
pet Snickers.  "Enjoying your meal?"

Hiko the Firechilde nods...  "Always begins with Fire?"

Travis looks up.  "Well, technically, a circle has no beginning or end, so
it starts where you needs to, and ends there too."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I see."

Hiko the Firechilde purses her lips, perusing the parchment.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Wheel of Elements?  How do you use that in
magic?"

"Well, it's part of the theory of dispelling magics."

He gets out a piece of paper and begins jotting hard to understand charts
on it.  "You see, if you tie an effect to an element, you can use the one
which dominates it to dispel it most efficiently."

Corrine OOCly says, "My god.  We've gone into Final Fantasy zone!"

"For example, use water to dispel fire.  The problem, however, is that it
remains argued as to what dominates what."

"After all, water douses fire, but fire can turn water to steam."

Hiko the Firechilde smiles briefly, remembering both the words in the Red
Book and the Propheces of the Pyricorn.

He continues, "Metal traps air and prevents its escape, but the wind flows
around solid obstacles.  And so on."

Hiko the Firechilde nods.  "And the book?"

He says, "It's full of King Gendo's notes on the Prophecies.  I haven't
had time to read it, unfortunately, but I thought you might find it
useful.  There is one thing, though..."  He begins paging through the
book.

Snickers finishes eating, then leaps up onto Hiko's shoulders.

Hiko the Firechilde scritches Snickers' neck absentmindely.

"Ahh, here we go."  He turns to a page and..

Leather Knight Kasumi says, "OOC I'll be back in just a sec"
Hiko the Firechilde OOCly  laughs... lost the page?
Corrine OOCly snrks.
Hiko the Firechilde OOCly  goes to remove her contact lenses
Leather Knight Kasumi says, "OOC My toast popped up."
Corrine OOCly says, "wheee!"

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Back."

The page is covered with dense, scribbly handwriting.  The heading,
however, gets your attention--'The Child of Fire'

Hiko the Firechilde looks more closely.

'Child of Fire/Forgotten by her Mother/Molded by her Father/Will she be a
weapon in his hands?/Or will she burn her way to freedom?'

Possible mothers?

Juri/Corrine/Kozue/Utena/Wakaba

Juri--Would never forget a child.

Corrine--Ditto.

Kozue--Very likely to forget a child, her manners, everything else...but
wrong elemental resonance.

Utena--Weak willed, could be MADE to forget, possibly.

Corrine OOCly says, "Wow.  Dad did care --- orrrrr mebby not...."

Wakaba--Too young to be sure...or could SHE be the child?  But I have no
intention of using her as a weapon any  more than any of my other
daughters.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.  "Weapon?"

Corrine blinks again.
Corrine OOCly blinks, that is.
Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "You're not here, quit blinking!  <g>"

Insufficient evidence so far.  Kozue's son is probably the Child of Water,
anyway.

However, Kozue IS the one to whom passion most belongs of my daughters...I
am probably whistling in the dark again.

And then there's this..

'Starved of fuel/a burning heart/will consume itself/and burn to ash'

There's a bad omen if I ever saw one.

Yumi, don't read over my shoulder.

The next few lines are too shaky and blurred to read.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.

Corrine OOCly says, "......"

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "'Starved of fuel'?"

Hiko the Firechilde muses... "... heart, emotions..."  She blushes
briefly, then regains her composure.  "Most interesting."

I somehow doubt the prophets were thinking about sex, Yumi.

I'll stop writing my answers when you stop...

Corrine OOCly looks at Hiko and the Green Knight.

The rest of the page is a blur.

Corrine OOCly says, "Oooooooohhhh, I think they WERE."

Travis says, "Anyway, I think this book might be helpful.  Oh, and then
there's this..."

He turns to the very last page.  It contains only a few lines of text.

'The wheel must turn/the old must pass away/and give way to the new/that
the world might be redeemed/Be like the phoenix/which sacrifices itself/to
live again'

Much of the page is blank, followed by 'I finally understand the meaning
of this passage.  But will I have the strength to do what must be done?'

'I will become the phoenix.'

And that is all.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks again.  "I will inform the King (if he has
recovered) and the Queen what you have learned.  You are a credit to your
post, Travis-san."

He nods.  "I'm glad I could be of assistance."

Hiko the Firechilde bows formally, giving Snickers one last scritch, then
walks back to the kitchens, where she told Corrine to meet her.

=====================
=====================

[While Hiko was in the library.....]

Akemi pages, "You find Yuriko having breakfast with Utena and Nabiki in
her office." to you.

You page, "[Corrine smiles, relaxing a bit. "Hi there... mind if we join
in for a few minutes, your highness?"]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "She blinks.  "Hello, Corrine, come in.  Have you had
breakfast?"" to you.

You page, "[Corrine is clad in her ember-slacks costume, not her usual
warden getup, crossbow on back, sword at side.  Funaho's in her robes,
Lonz is looking lonzish.  "I grabbed a quick bit in the kitchens, but Lonz
and Funaho I do not believe have eaten yet.  And, oh yes."]" to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] Your highness, may I present to you Lord Lonz, my
Lord High Chamberlain, and Lady Funaho, my Mistress of the Revels.  Lonz,
Funaho, may I introduce you to her highness, Queen Yuriko of Amber, my
sister, Princess Utena, and Nabiki, Assistant Lord High Chamberlain of
Amber."]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "The Queen nods.  "A pleasure to meet you."  She introduces
Nabiki and Utena." to you.

You page, "[Corrine] I apologize for the abruptness of our arrival,
especially after the disasterous trump call earlier, but we have news to
report, connections to make, and information to gather from you on the
state of the kingdom here." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "She nods.  "What news do you have of Ember?"" to you.

You page, "[Corrine sits, politely.  "As you know, several days ago Hiko
and I, along with Misaki, Roderick, and Juri of Avalon, set off to find
the remaining survivors of the assault on the Keep.  We found them at
Frostspire, Rimururu's homeland.  That is, we found Tsuwabuki and
Shiuzumaru.  Unfortuantely, in the process of doing so, we found out that
Tsuwabuki and Miki have been turned by Annadil against us.  We were able
to free Shizumaru from Annadil's grip, but in doing -that-, learned that
the enemy now has the Seed of Hope -in- the Font of Power." to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] We then returned to Ember, accellerating the time
differential so that we could plan an assault on the Keep of the Five
Worlds to retreive the seed, since without it the Gate cannot be closed if
opened, and Shizumaru cannot risk a Pattern walk until it's out of the
Font."" to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] Unfortnately, in the process of our preparations, we
discovered that Trump Communications outside of the Lava Circle have
become by discordant musical jamming.  Further analyisis concluded that it
was being caused by Miki, and the range of the jamming would imply that he
is using the Font to power it." to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] For us to assist Amber and Rebma and assault the Keep
in a timely fasion, we must neutralize the jamming and retrieve Miki.  We
also have suspicion that Derith is assisting Annadil under mistaken
beleifs of freeing rebma from 'slavery' to Amber.  When, of course, if the
Gate opens, it's going to suck for us all, equally." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""Well, Gideon informed yesterday he was having some
problems, but our communications have been fairly good with our armies via
Trump."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine] Have you tried communications with people outside the
Golden Circle?  And Moire outside the Coral Circle?" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""No, we haven't had any reason to in the last few days."" to
you.

You page, "[Corrine] Trumps within Ember, similarly, have not been
effected.  It is when one tries to reach from Ember to Amber, or Ember to
Shadow, that the effect comes into play... and if the trump is held too
long, a Shadow Storm is forced through the connection -- Water charged."
to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] I'll need to test this before we depart, then, but I
am leery.  In Ember, I can neutralize shadow storms with the demi jewel,
but here... *she sighs again* ... What is the news of the family and the
kingdom here?" to Akemi.

You page, "(oh, OOC, can Corrine feel the manifestation or DemiJewel
connection, or are those blocked?  She won't even TRY forcing, but wants
to confirm.)" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "the manifestation seems active." to
you. You page, "Prolly it was the trump comm via gaby that did it to nuke
Juri. Anyway, continuing." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""The war continues, going decently well.  Drake is still
missing.  Kozue is missing.  Derith is missing.  Tylor is still out of it,
although Fuyutsuki says he will wake soon. "" to you.

You page, "[Corrine nods.  "Perhaps, hopefully, Ember's support won't be
necessary then.  But even so..." She purses her lips. "And good to hear
that Tylor is to wake soon, though bad that it's taken so long." She
sighs.  "Even so, it is my intention to undo this jamming somehow. 
Otherwise, our remaining efforts from Ember will not be able to come to
fruition." She considers.  "How is Wakaba doing?"]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""Wakaba is up and around and hiding from shame," Utena says,
sighing.  "I've been trying to talk to her."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine sighs. "Damn." She rubs her brow.  "She needs to pull
out of her shell, and quick, and I don't have the time to do it myself." 
She then looks up as well.  "Where would Grandfather be right now?  With
tylor?  And what about Madoka?  Or the remaining children -- Shaft,
Nagisa, Mikage?"]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""Nagisa is probably in the library again.  Mikage and
Shaft...I don't know.  Madoka is up in her room being depressed.  And
Grandfather is down in his room with Tylor."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine nods.  "That helps.  I have a feeling I'm going to
need all the children about, and soon.... to pool information, to train
and practice. We have leads on how to defeat Annadil, and how to close the
gate if it opens, but..." She then considers.  "Oh, where is Queen
Anthy?"]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""Having breakfast somewhere, I suppose."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine nods.  "Thank you." She considers.  "Would you happen
to have up-to-date maps and troop depositions for the Army and Navy, and
who they're fighting against?  If I could carry them back up to Ember, it
would assist us greatly in planning?  And any word on the seas?"  She
chews her lip...]" to Akemi.

You page-pose, "Aerianne hrms... is Pattern sight use noticeable by
others?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "It's obvious you're doing something
funky, but produces no visible effect." to you. You page, "'nm, then. *wg*
Corrine had an offhand thought to idly scan, but if it's noticeable in her
behavior, she won't." to Akemi. You page, "(and waiting for Yurkio's
response...." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""The seas are clogged with storms.  Hideously.  As for troop
depositions, I can try to arrange them for you, bu they'll likely be
rather out of date."" to you.

Akemi pages, ""As our Marshal had to take the field, and now things are a
bit of a mess."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine sighs.  "Right.  Well, it's better than nothing..
locations of who's against who, for my friends up top to know where things
are."  She purses her lips.  "Saionji's still up in Harad, then?"" to
Akemi.

Akemi pages, "She nods.  "He's pushing them back quite well."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine then looks down at her lap, hands in them, slightly
clenched.  "If only sis were here.... dammit."  She looks up again,
smiling slightly. "Well, that's a minor relief."]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""How has your daughter been doing?" Yuriko asks." to you.

You page, "[Corrine shudders a bit at that, and bites her lip as she
closes her eyes.  She then opens them again.  "She's... been better.  When
she tried to reach Juri out at sea... Annadil or Miki were able to strike
back.  She was hit with trauma, that we've only recently managed to
repair.  And soon after, Juri's ships were caught in a whirlpool... we
only recently got a message via Phoenix from her... she perhaps has one
last hope out, but until we can get the jamming gone, or the waters
calmed..." She closes her eyes again, and a tear leaks.]" to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine then opens her eyes again.  Her blue eyes, bearing a
hardness perhaps only seen on Gendo before.  "They've hurt my -daughter-. 
They've hurt my -sister-.  By the Unicorn and Pyricorn, I -will- set
things right."]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "She puts a hand on your shoulder, while Utena gets up and
comes and hugs you." to you.

You page, "[Corrine accepts the hug, quietly and gracefully, though still
trembling. "... all the power of an entire frigging kingdom... dammit, we
-have- to make a difference..."]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Queen Yuriko looks rather mournful.  "One never has enough
power.  The more you have, the more you need."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine manages a slight smile.  "Know the feeling there. 
Power to protect, but then your enemies grow more powerful in return....
vicious cycle." She sighs, taking several shuddering breatch.  "Thanks,
Yuriko, Utena." She squeezes both their hands."]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Nabiki tries to pretend she isn't there, shuffling papers. 
Utena smiles at you as best she can.  "We just have to do what we can.""
to you.

You page, "[Corrine nods, hehing a little bit.  "We will.  And dammit, we
-will- be triumphant.  It's the only outcome that makes any sense."  She
takes a deep breath.  "And as for why I brought Lonz and Funaho here..."
She gestures to Lonz.  "... In order to promote peace, understanding,
mutual defense, and mutual trade between our two kingdoms, Amber and
Ember, I have brought my man Lonz here to negotiate a suitable treaty.  He
is fully authorized to speak in my voice, as my Lord High Chaimberlain,
and I'm certain the two of you will get along." She chuckles.  "When we
break this damnable jamming, I want to make SURE that nobody shoots
wrongly if we trump ships into the harbor and armies onto the battlefield.
 Everything's got to be on the up and up."]" to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] Funaho, in turn, is going to be my representative
with Rebma.  Are communcations and relations still stable with them?" to
Akemi.

Akemi pages, ""We haven't needed to contact Rebma in the last few days.""
to you.

Akemi pages, "Lonz bows to the Queen, who says, "Welcome, Ambassador Lonz.
 I'll have Makoto talk to you, assuming I can find him."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine nods.  "Right.  Hopefully, things will stay peaceful
between them." She sighs a bit, looking rueful.  "'Too much overwhelms,
too little starves.  Only through balance can one thrive, only through all
five can one live.'" she quotes from the Book of the Pyricorn,
reflexively.]" to Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine then blinks, and blushes.  "Well, I need to be going
now... to rendevous with Hiko. By your leave?"]" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "She nods.  "Good luck."" to you.

You page, "[Corrine stands, and bows to them, and then nods to Funaho to
accompany her.]" to Akemi.

You page, "(and back to the kitchens, I presume? *wg* )" to Akemi.

=====================
=====================

Corrine soon joins you.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What did you find out Auntie?"

Corrine sighs, leaning against an available counter.  She ticks off on her
fingers.  "Derith, Drake, and Kozue are still missing.  I told them about
sis's current possible state.  Tylor's still being worked on by Grandpa,
but he's expected to come out of it later today, hopefully.  Wakaba's up
and about, and hiding in guilt and shame.  They haven't noticed any trump
problems down here, but Yuriko admitted they hadn't had much reason to
reach out to Shadow past the Golden Circle or to Rebma.  The wars on the
land are going tolerably... Saionji's doing well in the field, dunno about
the rest.  Massive storms block the seas."]

Hiko the Firechilde says, "We need to contact Ota-san and bring him up to
speed."

Corrine says, "On the positive side, Lonz seemed to hit it off well with
folks there, and I found out where Madoka and Grandfather are.  And how
did your work go?"

Corrine asks, "Oh!  Yuriko said that Nagisa was possibly in the library...
did you see him there?"

Hiko the Firechilde rolls her eyes subtlely.  "More prophecy."  She
outlines what Travis found for her.

Corrine says, "There's been no word on where Shaft or Mikage are, though."

Corrine whistles a bit, and murmurs under her breath.  "holy.... damn....
dad -did- care." She sounds like she's rather suprised about this.

The kitchen doors swing open and Vash walks in.  "Hey, Chef Bjork, can I
beg you for a foot long hoagie?"

Corrine then chuckles a bit, self-depreciatingly.  "Why is it... why is it
-now- that the -really- relevant prophesies start coming to light?  Good
unicorn."

"Bork!  BORK BORK BORK!" the chef shouts.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'm more interested in what Grandmother's
findings represent for us."

Vash asks nervously, "You're not mistaking me for a chicken again, are
you?"

You page, "translation? :)" to Akemi.

Corrine's eyes widen a bit.  "Indeed.  But I suspect they're better
discussed elsewhere."

Hiko the Firechilde nods as well.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I concur."

Chef Bork begins shouting wildly at Vash, who starts to back up.

Corrine leads Hiko and Funaho out of the kitchen before they can get
caught in the crossfire.

Vash turns and runs with Chef Bork chasing him.  "I just wanted a
SAAAAANNNNDDDWIIIICCCHHH...."

Hiko the Firechilde watches the two leave.  "How is he related to us
again?"

Funaho quietly snags an apple for herself as you leave the kitchens.

Akemi pages, "He's one of Gendo's illegitimate kids, so far as you know."
to you.

Corrine looks at the running shaft.  "I honestly have no idea, Hiko.  The
going rumor is one of father's illegitimate kids...."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Perhaps we should find out."

Corrine purses her lips, quietly.  "... which would make him a prodigal
son... and perhaps a 'red rider'... though I suppose that could also refer
to Gideon."

Corrine sighs, and nods.  "True.  But first things first, I think?"

He does wear a red coat all the time.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "I'm thinking something less than complimentary.
 He could be one of the enemy.  He who wears many faces?"

Hiko the Firechilde has a slightly unbalanced look in her eye.

Corrine arches an eyebrow.  "Hrm." She peers back into the kitchen, and
uses that funky pattern sight on the Vash within.

Funaho looks thoughtful.

Akemi pages, "Metal Pattern Imprint" to you.
You page, "Any chaos blood?  Or undetectable?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "You detect no chaos blood." to you.

Vash runs back and forth, yelping as Chef Bork chases him, throwing
chickens at him.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Notice how he 'just' happened to be near the
Pattern when you walked it before we went to Ember?"

Corrine ducks back out.  "He's walked Kolvir.  Couldn't pick up any chaos
blood in him."

The chefs corner Vash and begin pelting him with fruit as Chef Bork eggs
them on.  "But I just wanted a sandwich..." he whimpers.

Corrine purses her lips, and nods.  "Hell, the first ANYBODY saw of him
was him -walking- the pattern.  Shaft was there, I think...."

Corrine glances at Funaho.  "Any ideas on your end?"

Hiko the Firechilde nods curtly.

Funaho doesn't seem to hear you, and heads into the kitchens and starts
lecturing Chef Bork on manners.

Corrine OOCly says, "[Corrine] I thought we weren't going to get
sidetracked. [Hiko] Not if I lead the sidetracking." Hiko the Firechilde
OOCLY says,  "i'm the PC here, darnit!"

You page, "She does this often, I think? *wl*" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Yes, she has lecturing tendencies :)" to you.
You page, "Right.  Best to ride it out and come back for her." to Akemi.

The chef looks embarrassed.

Fairly quickly, Funaho has things calmed down.  She grabs a broom and
brushes fruit off Vash.  He bows to her.  "Thank you."

He starts to say something, then slumps, and walks out, looking a little
gloomy.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Hiko's starting to
turn paranoid again.  This is not GOOD." (to you) You page, "Merple.
*hug*" to Foxtrot. You page, "Well, it's stressful times." to Foxtrot.
Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "And losing her
mother.  In her mind, because deep down, it's easier to deal with, Juri is
already dead.  She's still somewhat new to this having hope concept." (to
you) You page, "*nod* Right.  Corrine's meanwhile operating on 'Juri is
Still Alive', because she's -Juri-" to Foxtrot. Foxtrot stops prodding
inn--- guilty authors and says, "See, I KNOW that, after having spent 200
Avalon years sane with her, but still...reverting to type in a crisis."
(to you) You page, "Well, yeah. *wg*" to Foxtrot.

"Just wanted a sandwich..."

And then he's gone.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.  "Right."

Chef Bork sighs and puts the cooks to work.

Corrine asks, "We need to get moving.  So.  See if we can contact Shaft,
check on Grandpa and Tylor, break Madoka out of her funk, and see Rebma
before heading out?"

Hiko the Firechilde nods.  "Yes."

Leather Knight Kasumi asks, "OOC Okay, how you gonna contact Shaft?"
Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Trumps work here?"
Corrine OOCly says, "First, Corrine's going to check to see if she can
trump herself, Funaho, and Hiko to the castle amber courtyard."

Blink, you're in the courtyard.

You page, "What day's Shaft on? *wl*" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "That would be telling :)" to you.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Cool.   Contact Shaft."

Corrine lets out a relaxing breath.

Corrine says, "Okay.  That's a good sign.  Now we'll see if we can grab
him via trump... if we get the damn music, that'll be out."

Corrine pulls out her trump card of shaft, and tries drawing on the
demi-jewel power, gently, to see if she can do that.

You are able to call on the Demi-Jewel, though only weakly here.  You try
to trump Shaft, but porno music begins to blare from the card. 
BOOM-CHIKKA-WA!

Corrine STARES at the card, shutting it down.

Corrine asks, "the HELL?"

For just a moment, you get an image of well...Shaft writhing on a bed with
multiple women.  And then you shut it down.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.  "What in the world was --"

Corrine says, "... What in the fuck was he --- no, I could SEE what he was
DOING....."

Mikage has arrived.
Mikage the puppet is here to watch.

Corrine stares down at her card again.  "What the HELL is he doing laying
around when we've got a crisis going on???"

The card doesn't answer.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "He was doing WHAT?"

You page, "Suppose Corrine could try again.. or was that him back when
Shamber had just come into being?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yuo can
certainly try again" to you.

Corrine says, "Shaft.  Bed.  Multiple women.  All undressed.  I think one
can figure from that..." She frowns, darkly.

Corrine says, "I'm going to try again.  Somehow, bump and grind music does
NOT sound like Miki's doing...."

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.  "Well, we need him!  Go give him a Trump
shock, or whatever you can do with it."

Corrine says, "I'll see what I can do."

Well, he IS the master of the Revels...Miki, that is...

Mercutio pages, "Well, fuck. Guess who just pulled Hummingbird out of the
Abyss?" to you. You page, "*facepalm* Annadil?" to Mercutio. You page, "Or
Demetrius?" to Mercutio. Mercutio pages, "Demetrius." to you. You page,
"*phew* Well, that's better." to Mercutio. You page, "Kinda." to Mercutio.
You page, "I had nightmares of Annadil or one of the MacFinndos getting
their hands on it." to Mercutio. Mercutio pages, "He had to immediatly
give it to Cait O'Riordan, who seems like a dangerous sychopath, but
Hummingbird is otu and about again." to you.

Corrine concentrates on the card again, raising her crossbow in her free
hand, loading a bolt.

Rod pages, "you give him a trump shock, he falls off the bike, lands in a
shadow of rabid transvestite dinosaurs, wacky hijinks ensue" to you. Rod
pages, "mind you, tis is my paranoid vision" to you.

Boom-chikka-chikka...

You get another brief glimpse of Shaft Porn Fest 1292

Shaft asks, "OOCly and the numbers stand for....?"
Leather Knight Kasumi says, "OOC That's the year."
Shaft says, "OOCly aaaah."

Corrine tries to get a decent visual/audio.  "Come ON, Shaft Tenjou.... oh
pyricorn..." She raises her crossbow, ready to fire through it.

Hiko the Firechilde reaches over and touches Corrine's shoulder and sends
a strong spike through the link.  "Hey, Ota-san!"

Leather Knight Kasumi asks, "OOC  What are you gonna try to fire at during
the second or so that it's open?" Shaft says, "OOOCly oh, this is so open
to crude jokes...." Mikage says, "OOC Heh" Gideon . o O ( OOC MAke sure
with your shot that the orgy ends? :> ) Corrine OOCly says, "Corrine was
originally thinking trump bolt, or trump energy, but through a trump
-itself- may do the sorta thing Embra-Corrine did when they were in
Arden... Okay, fire a trump of herself near to the group, not actually
HITTING shaft as he'd bleed, but..." Shaft says, "OOCly a vision of auntie
corrine as Ota orgasms.  This can only lead to trauma and therapy."
Corrine OOCly says, "Okay, so I admit it's not THAT well thought out, but,
well, she's not the UberTrumpPerson here...." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY
says,  "Gone to get more rum... back soon." Autolyca OOC Hit hom between
the eyes. He's not using THAT brain, obviously :) Gideon says, "OOC See
what Shaft did, Rod? Now Trish needs more alcohol to chase that image
away. :>" Mikage says, "OOC Brilliant. ^^;" Shaft asks, "OOCly and whose
idea was it to give shaft an incest complex?" Corrine OOCly says, "So
Corrine's been noting...."

The trump fires through the the image.

And then the connection closes.

Corrine waits to see if anything or anybody comes back out.

You wait.  nothing happens.  A bit later, more nothing happens.  Then
somene puts their hands over Corrine's eyes from behind her.  "Guess who,"
a male voice says.

You page, "Tone of voice, height of body?" to Akemi.
You page, "And heck, pattern-sight of hands?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Almost certainly Makoto" to you.
You page, "(Sorry, paranoia of things, here....) what's pattern-sight
say?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "It says you can't see anything clearly with
his hands that close to your eyes." to you.

Corrine takes a deep breath.  "Makoto?"

Makoto laughs and lets go.  "Nice tan, Corrine.  I almost didn't recognize
you."  He turns to Hiko.  "Hello, Hiko," he says.  "So what were you
shooting?"

Corrine relaxes.  "Thanks, bro... I've spent some time in the sun." She
winks, and looks rueful.  "We were trying to get Shaft back here..." Her
expression darkens.  "But he seems to be laying about.  -Really- laying
about."

You page, "And as Makoto and Juri and COrrine were the ones who examined
Ember the first time, I think he can catch the 'time in the sun' comment.
;)" to Akemi.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "He doesn't seem like the lazy type."

Makoto says, "Well, after being maimed like he was, I'm sure he needed
some rest."  He shakes his head.  "He got fairly well mauled after he
brought Wakaba back."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What happened?"

He sighs.  "I went to try to talk to Wakaba earlier, but she hid under her
bed and pretended she wasn't there."

Corrine mmms and nods.  "How -did- that go?  Other than the fact that sis
-is- back..."

Corrine sighs. "Okay, maybe I -will- have to talk some sense into her. 
She's not doing herself or anybody else any good -there-..."

Makoto says, "Well, I don't know the exact details, but I know one of
Nanami's assistants nearly burned to death and he was pretty seriously
fried all over.  But he got Wakaba back, and Nanami cleaned out Wakaba's
brain."  He glances about and frowns slightly.

Makoto says, "Oh, you did know we succeeded in getting Justice back,
right?"

Hiko the Firechilde sighs with relief.

He continues, "And Shaft got engaged to Kasumi recently.  After,
well...it'll be a bit of a crossbow wedding, so to speak."

Corrine relaxes, smiling slightly.  "Thank the Pyricorn and Unicorn.  That
leaves them all accounted for, save for Mikage's, and Shizumaru's got a
complicati--"

Corrine blinks.

Corrine facepalms.

Corrine says, "A Stag Party."

Autolyca OOC heds off to bed. Night all!

Corrine says, "I trumped shaft in the middle of a fricking orgy -stag
party-."

Makoto cocks his head slightly, "You think we should throw one for...oh."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Kasumi-san?"

Corrine holds up her trump card of Shaft.  "We tried trumping him.  We got
a bleeping blaxplotion film, nearabouts."

Makoto turns to Hiko.  "Yes, Kasumi the head Chambermaid.  She seems very
excited and happy about it.  Nabiki seems a little jealous, I think. 
She's been trying to get Drake to the altar for YEARS."

Makoto glances off towards the gates, then turns back and says, "Do you
have any idea where Drake's gone?"

Hiko the Firechilde says, "That's good for her."  The tone of her voice is
pleased, if distant, and maybe a bit peeved.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Let me try."

Hiko the Firechilde gets out her own trump of Ota-san.

Corrine quirks a slight smile at that.  "Glad to hear that, then.  Maybe,
when this is all over and we're all still alive, we ought to have a mass
wedding." She shakes her head.  "No clue.  He left the keys with Nabiki,
walked the pattern downstairs, and teleported out.  One of us could go
walk it to find him, but that could leave us out in shadow, with
communication problems...."

Corrine says, "And that was..." she thinks.  "Almost a week ago, now?" 
She frowns, and sighs.

Makoto nods.  "And those of us who can, can't spare the time."  He sighs.

Corrine nods.  "Know -that- feeling."  She sticks out her tounge.

Corrine glances over at Hiko to see how she's doing.

You concentrate on the card.  There is porno music, and a brief glimpse of
Shaft, now with a somewhat different set of women.

You page, "Hrm... was there enough change in images between corrine's two
contacts to tell if he was in a fast-time shadow or not?" to Akemi. Akemi
pages, "You're guessing he is fast timeed" to you.

You send the mental spike.  The connection closes

Corrine frowns, considering.  "How did it go, Hiko?"

Makoto laughs.

Corrine glances at her brother, eyebrow arched.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "It closed again.  He was...."  <a moue of
distaste>  "very busy."

Corrine sighs.  "Well, from what I could see from both times... I think
he's in a fast-time shadow."

Makoto says, "Man, this really reminds me of that time...I'd better not
talk about that."

Corrine comments dryly.  "Before we head back, we'll give him one more
try, and HOPEFULLY perhaps he'll have cleaned up after himself.  But we
can't wait for him at this point." She hrmmms?  "Well, suit yourself..."

Makoto taps his foot.  "Where's that electrum shipment?  Someone's going
to get  a spanking," he mutters.  "So, will you two be here for long?"

Hiko the Firechilde murmurs to herself, building a spell.

Akemi pages, "Someone just posted the 'Song of Anvils' on the in Nomine
mailing list :)" to you.

Corrine sighs, shaking her head.  "Unfortuantely not.  We've got too many
things to do on our end."  She tilts her head, curious.  "If it's coming
by trump or water, you may be waiting a -long- time, Makoto."

Makoto says, "It's supposed to be coming up the elevator."

Corrine says, "From the city?" She frowns.

He sighs.  "They probably overloaded it again.  Well, see you later!" He
waves and heads towards the elevator building.

Corrine says, "Right... OH!  Makoto!  When you get a moment, go see
Yuriko!  She's got somebody you've just GOT to meet...."

Corrine grins a bit.

Makoto turns and nods.  "Thanks for the tip, Corrine!"

Corrine waves to Makoto.  "You're welcome!"  And waits until he turns
around and is almost to the elevator before Pattern-sighting him.

Hiko the Firechilde picks up the card again, and concentrates.

Porno music blares. You get another glimpse of mad passionate sex.

Akemi pages, "He's got Metal Pattern Imprint" to you.
Akemi pages, "And Air and Water too." to you.
You page, "Okay, he's cool.  Ooooohhhh hohhhh. *nod* No chaosian blood?"
to Akemi. Akemi pages, "No Chaosian blood." to you. You page, "*nod* Man. 
This pattern sight IS useful. :)" to Akemi.

Hiko the Firechilde transmits her spell across, directly into Ota's brain,
averting her eyes.

You feel the spell dissipate the instant it crosses the trump threshold.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Well fuck."

You page, "(and ahhh... this is back when Shamber was magic-canceld.)" to
Akemi.

Corrine sighs.  "No go?"

Naga OOCly says, "he is"
Corrine OOCly coughs.

Hiko the Firechilde contents herself with another mental spike.

The connection closes before you can send it.

Hiko the Firechilde growls.  

Funaho says, "Perhaps we'd best come back to him later."

Corrine nods.  "That was my feeling."

Corrine says, "He's fast-timed... surely NOBODY could..." she pauses, and
shakes her head.  "Right.  -Focus-, Corrine."

Leather Knight Kasumi asks, "OOC Okay, what's next, going down to visit
Fuyutsuki?" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Why the hell not... see what
he knows/has to say." Corrine OOCly says, "That's what I was thinking. 
Also allows us to check on how Tylor's doing, and ask how much longer
Grandpa needs to be down here.  Since Corrine hopes to have him come back
with them to check on gaby and help with the blocking..."

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "You still okay to
game?  It's three am where you are." (to you) You page, "I can prolly
handle another hour, but will have to drop after that." to Foxtrot.

Corrine OOCly says, "After that is grab Madoka and have her pack to go on
a trip, perhaps talk Wakaba out of her funk if on the same route, then
Rebma w/ Moire and Rei.  Then one more chance for shaft." Leather Knight
Kasumi says, "OOc Got it, liked it." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, 
"Heh... managing to still stay in character while drunk.  This is new."
Corrine OOCly says, "If no shaft, then his ass is grass the next time they
meet, and Corrine will be the lawnmower." Shaft says, "OOCly pass me some
booze, trish, it'll help kill the time till i'm on" Shaft says, "OOCly
this is not my fault" Hiko the Firechilde OOCly  passes the rum/water.

You go down to Fuyutsuki's room in the dungeons.

The door is labelled 'Knock before entering'

Odd tinny noises are coming from under the door and a lot of weird
chanting and screaming, which all sounds a little tinny as well.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.

Corrine blinks.

Corrine looks at Hiko, and tentatively knocks.

The door swings open.  Beyond the door is a large, empty room, in which
Tylor is running around with a closed helmet over his head, wildly
swinging a large mallet.  "Take THAT!  And THAT!"  He seems to be hitting
things which are not there.  Fuyutsuki sits in a chair by one wall,
looking into a crystal ball and taking notes.  He waves to you.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hello Great-Grandfather."

Corrine waves back, and slowly edges her way -around- the open area with
Tylor, and smiles a bit.  "Hey there, Grandpa..." She glances at Tylor. 
"Well, I can see he's up and about again.. how's he doing?"

Corrine OOCly says, "My god.  It's the recreation of that scene in the
Millenium Falcon, just with a whack-an-akio...."

Fuyutsuki says, "He's nearing the end of his therapy.  Right now, he's
working off his fears by playing 'Virtual Whack-an-Outsider'"

Corrine OOCly says, "I was close! :)"
Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Wow... thick tongue.  I am drunk
tonight."

Corrine ahs, and nods.  She chuckles a bit.  "Oh, good.  Could possibly
use some of that myself, but not now."  She hrms.  "Grandfather?  When
your work with Tylor is done, would you be amienable to a trip to Ember
with myself and Hiko?  We've come across several situations that we could
use some insight on."

He nods.  "Alright.  I've finished my giant robots.  I should be done with
Tylor in a day or two."

Corrine blinks.

Corrine says, "Giant... robots."

Hiko the Firechilde blinks and decides to let Corrine take the initiative
here.

He nods.  "Yes.  I liked that Pattern Eva, so I thought I'd make some
more."

Hiko the Firechilde blushes.  "It was usefull at the time."

Fuyutsuki says, "Anything else?"

Corrine shakes her head.  "Well, I can give you some information to mull
over while we run around..." She chuckles a bit, and sobers.  "...
basically, it's this.  Miki's been captured by Annadil and is now blocking
trump calls to outside the Lava Circle, and quite possibly outside of
Amber's Golden Circle as well, using the power of the Outsiders via the
Font of Power."

"Take THAT, Ybb-Tsil!"  Tylor crows as he repeatedly hammers the air.

Corrine says, "We can't safely trump past our trade-circle borders... if
we force things, we get a shadow storm, water-charged and 'clear' out of
the trump."

Fuyutsuki nods.  "I could have sworn the boy knew more than one song,
yes."

Corrine shudders a bit.  "And when Gabrielle tried reaching Juri through
her manifestation... SOMEHOW they forced their way back down the link.  WE
managed to heal Gabrielle, but she needs a final double-check."

Corrine says, "We need to break or counteract that damnable Trump jamming.
 We need to free Miki from Annadil's claws.  Everything else follows from
that, and -any- advice you can give would be valuable. "

Fuyutsuki says, "I will start thinking about these problems."  He frowns. 
"Have you seen my hat?"

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What does it look like?"

Corrine thinks.  -Has- she seen his hat recently?

"It's a sort of fez with the Pattern on it."

He scratches his head.  "I can't remember what I did with it..."

Corrine says, "A... Pattern Fez..." She shakes her head.  "No, can't say
that I have." She shrugs a bit, helplessly.

Corrine says, "If I -do- see it, I'll grab it and bring it back to you?"

He shrugs.  "It'll come back around when it's hungry."  He looks
thoughtful.  "Have you tried blowing up Miki's Trump Conservatory?"

Corrine blinks.

Corrine asks, "Trump Conservatory?"

Fuyutsuki says, "Has an army of musicians constantly playing, part of his
musical trump experiments.  No doubt how he's managing to intercept and
block trump calls."

Corrine scratches.  "Miki's got a Trump Conservatory?" She blinks. 
"-Well-."

Corrine says, "Well, any chance to take him down a peg, I suppose...."

Corrine asks, "Where would its location be?  Do you have a trump of it?"

You page, "Conservatory go BoOOOOOOommmmm...." to Foxtrot.

Fuyusuki shakes his head. "Trumping into it would be asking to die
horribly.  But it's about two days ride from his beach house at the
Beach."

Corrine says, "We'll likely have to use other means to -get- to it,
but..."

Corrine nods.  "I was thinking pattern teleport myself... or that could
work.  We'd have to hellride, though, IF we can get to the Beach
period...."

You page, "Has corrine been to his beach house before?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Yes, you have." to you.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I've been to his Conservatory."

Hiko the Firechilde remembers the group meeting of the cousins, then gets
a concerned look on her face.

Corrine says, "Dammit, this is getting too close to the wire... Oh?  Oh
-good-.  That helps.  Magic-teleport could also possibly work, too."

Hiko the Firechilde OOCly  is drunk atm, so ignore any typoes.

Corrine says, "And I've been to Miki's place on the beach, which also
helps."

Fuyutsuki shakes his head.  "Magic can't reach long distances across
shadow very well."

Corrine hehs a little bit. "Well, I'm trying to gather all my options
together so that I can at least feel SOMEWHAT confident, here."

He says, "You might be able to trump to the Beach, then hellride to the
Conservatory in a few hours."

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "NO MORE RUM TONIGHT!"
Mikage says, "OOC O-kay..."
Shaft OOCly facepalms
Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Drunk off my ASS right now."

Corrine says, "Which still comes to dealing with the trump jamming at the
moment... but a pattern teleport could get through -that-.  Once at the
beach, Hellride."

Fuyutsuki says, "True.  For that matter, you could pattern teleport right
into the Conservatory."

Corrine says, "We've had a theory that perhaps setting up a
counter-harmonic could temporarily nullify it -- completely opposite
frequencies ... which is part of what we're thinking of back upstairs in
Ember." She nods.  "A small force, get in, vape the place."

Hiko the Firechilde nods.

Corrine quirks a slightly demented smile.  "'Sorry, Miki, but we had to
Nuke the Conservatury to Save Reality.  I'll get you a new one later.'"

Corrine coughs.  "Anyway."

Fuyutsuki nods.  "Possibly. It might simply cancel out all trump
transmissions completely, though."

"By using up all available energy in the area."

Hiko the Firechilde is in this WAY over her head, as she still doesn't
understand how Trump works, despite many explanations.

Corrine purses her lips.  "That's a good point.  Though...." She hrms. 
"Should keep that in mind if we go up against any Living Trumps again, as
we undoubtly will at some point.  If we can knock THEM down a peg,
welll..."

Corrine says, "I'll be sure to tell the folks we've got working on it in
Ember what you've said... and I hope to see you up there soon." She smiles
slightly.

Fuyutsuki nods.  "Hai.  See you soon, I hope."

Hiko the Firechilde nods as well, not really understanding what they
discussed, but accepting it all the same with an eerie calmness.

Corrine nods, and gives grandfather a quick hug.

You page, "Well, at least we got SOME advice.... *wry look*" to Foxtrot.
You page, "And a target to vent frustrations on. >)" to Foxtrot. Foxtrot
lowers the cattle prod gingerly and grins. (to you)

He hands her a 'Virtual Whack-an-Outsider' button.  "Here, have one.  I
may try and market this once I perfect it."

Tylor charges and breaks the crystal ball.  "Ahh, absolute darkness!  no,
closing in!"

Fuyutsuki sighs.  "Like that."  He heads over and starts wrestling with
Tylor.  "See you!"

Corrine quirks a smile, and pins it on her jacket.  "Thank you,
grandfather.  I'm sure it'll be a hit..."  Ehn?

Corrine ahs, nods, and escorts Hiko and Funaho out before they can be
malleted.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Great-Grandfather?  May I ask you a question?"

Hiko the Firechilde stays....

Corrine waits at the door's threshold, then, looking back.

Fuyutsuki says, "You just did."

"How can I help you, Hiko?"

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What do you know about the Outsiders?  All my
research indicates that you know more than you're letting on, and this is
information we need to know.  What will happen if the Gate opens?  How do
we close it?"

Corrine quietly watches.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCly  curses and searches for slippers.

Fuyutsuki asks, "Are you familiar with the concept of geasa, Hiko?"

You page, "is corrine familar with the concept of geasae?" to Akemi.
You page, "(in the sense of mental control, etc....)" to Akemi.
You page, "-I'm- familiar with it, of course, but... :)" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "They're magical bindings placed upon people to enable them
to avoid their fate by forbidding them to do things which would lead them
to it." to you. You page, "*nod*" to Akemi.

Corrine blinks, and nods slowly.

Hiko the Firechilde shakes her head.  "No."

Corrine says, "If I'm understanding this right... they're magical bindings
placed on people to allow them to avoid their fate by keeping from doing
things that would lead them -to- that."

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.

Fuyutsuki says, "There are times, when to perform certain arts, or to
avoid a tragic fate, one must either lay upon oneself, or have laid upon
oneself, certain limitations.  It is not safe to know much of the
Outsiders, for the more you know, the more it devours you.  I have
destroyed most of my own knowledge in order to keep myself sane.  I had to
forget.  I HAD to."  His voice shakes.  "Beyond the Gate are the
Outsiders.  If it is opened, all that I have wrought will begin to
crumble, and their power will rule over all."

Corrine nods.

Corrine moves over, and hugs him again.

Corrine says, "shhhh.  with what we've learned, I beleive we can prevent
this, grandfather."

Corrine says, "We -will- not let this happen.  Not as long as I draw
breath."

Hiko the Firechilde presses on.  "But how can we stop them?"  Her eyes
glitter with tears.   "Surely you can tell us that!"

Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "You PROMISED me I would be safe!"

Fuyutsuki shudders.  "It was horrible...the cities burned.  The Golden
Walls were broken.  And the Pallid Mask..."  His voice quavers and he is
breathing heavily.  "The Elder Sign...it is the key.  The larger the sign,
the more the power...and when each point is itself a sigil of strength..."

Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "YOu gave me back a mother!"

Corrine says, "And that would be how to defend the kingdom, to seal the
gate."

Corrine says, "Hiko.  The charts mother drew.  The information Urd gave
us."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I came wih you willingly..."

Corrine says, "we -have- the pieces with us.  We -have- the information we
need.  Just enough to do what we need to do."

Hiko the Firechilde is beyond all hearing....

"If the gate..."  He pulls at his hair.  "If it opens...you must link the
Icons.  And form the sign.  Until they..."

Corrine glances at Funaho, nodding towards Hiko.

He glares at Hiko.  "BE QUIET, STOP WHINING, AND LISTEN, YOU SELF-CENTERED
BRAT!"

Corrine jumps, and winces, being at ground zero for that yell.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "HOW??????"  At his outburst she faLLS  silent.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Lessoon I learned
from working retail... throw a tamntrum and you get answers." (to you) You
page, "Ah... hah." to Foxtrot.

Fuyutsuki stares at the floor for a few seconds.  Tylor whacks him in the
head and he casually backhands Tylor into a wall.  "Take the damn helmet
off," he barks.  Tylor does so.  "Fall down."  Tylor does so.

Shaft says, "OOCly NOW you've done it."
Mikage says, "OOC Uh-oh."

Corrine lets go of grandfather, and slowly backs away.

Hiko the Firechilde stands tall.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Tell me what to do and I will do it."

You page, "Is Corrine getting any 'threat' signals from Grandpa?" to
Akemi. Akemi pages, "You've never seen him be so scary in your life." to
you. You page, "Glrp." to Akemi.

Her voice is brittle, yet backed with the conviction of one who has seen
much suffering.

Fuyutsuki takes a very deep breath and calms himself.  "Once the gate
opens, Tir'na'nog will stay in the sky forever."

"You must walk the air pattern.  It will be nigh impossible as the power
of the Outsiders flows in.  But you must do it anyway."

Corrine moves with Funaho to be next to Hiko.

"And once you are in the Chamber of Revolution, you will have to fight
them."

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Told you it would
work." (to you) You page, "Eheh." to Foxtrot. You page, "You should know,
Corrine's never seen grandfather so scary in her life." to Foxtrot.

"All five of you, together, with your icons."

"You must reach the gate, and swing it shut.  And then you must form the
Great Circle, and summon the Elder Sign, and affix it to the Gate.  Then
the keys will be scattered, and the Outsiders once more sealed out."

Veins on his forehead visibly throb.

Corrine says, "And that will be enough.  Rest, grandfather.  Forget about
having talked about this with us."

"My nephew...will try to stop you...I do not know what he will do.  But he
must perish, for their hand is upon him..."  Blood begins to run down out
of his nose.

Hiko the Firechilde sighs, and nods.  "I am sorry you had to relive
whatever trauma you wished to seal way."

Corrine blinks.  "Oh shit."

He whispers, "If I was fully reliving it, you would already be a smear on
the wall.  Go.  Please."

Corrine nods.

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Hiko's been beaten
into submission before." (to you)

Corrine escorts Hiko and Funaho out.  NOW.

Tylor sits up.  "My head hurts."

Hiko the Firechilde steps forward, and offers a gesture of contrition
before being ushered away.

Corrine doesn't take any bull, she just gets the twosome out.

Mikage says, "OOC Well, that was a close call."
Corrine OOCly says, "And Annadil -must- die.  Right.  I could understand
that."

Fuyutsuki nods to Hiko.  "Good luck, my great-grandchild."

Hiko the Firechilde runs back, and HUGS Fuyutsuki, pouring her gratitude
and love into a mental link.  "Thank you....."  Then she runs out of the
room again.

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