Date sent: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 08:49:10 -0500 (EST) From: "Philip J. Moyer" To: John Biles , "Amy \"General Chaos\" Borden" , Chris Angelini Subject: [Amber/TAMD] Hiko, Corrine -- Matters of the Family Jewels Gertruda says, "Drew, we'll have to see how things develop." Shizumaru says, "All righty." Rod says, "um.... someone log this for me? once agian i'm at work" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Refresh my memory... what were we doing, waiting for Queen Yuriko, right?" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "I can't get to my logs right away." Michelle says, "You were talking to Queen Yuriko about the possibility of using the JoJ to alter Amber's weather." Corrine OOCly says, "We'd been chatting with Queen Yuriko about the situation, various concerns, and Corrine just accepted going to go and attune to the Jewel of Judgement so that SOMEBODY would be able to control the weather since Tylor's currently KO'd." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "And she agreed, ne?" Corrine OOCly says, "So therefore, the next thing is to go and get the JoJ and attune to it." Corrine OOCly says, "Yup!" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Okay." ============================== ============================== Hiko the Firechilde lets Queen Yuriko lead the way to the Vault. Queen Yuriko sends a servant to ask Drake to come up. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Or waits for the guy with the keyes...." Corrine follows Hiko and Yuriko to the vault, followed by Misaki the cute. Drake soon arrives, looking cranky. "Yes, your highness, what is it?" he asks Yuriko curtly. Queen Yuriko says, "We need to go down to the vault and get the Jewel of Judgement, Drake." Drake's eyes widen slightly. "Why?" Hiko the Firechilde summarizes her learnings, and her plan to forestall the Return. Corrine lets Hiko do the talking for the moment, looking quietly rueful. Drake frowns. "Have you ever used the Jewel of Judgement, Corrine?" Corrine smiles slightly. "I am currently attuned to the Fire Demi Jewel of Judgement, Drake. Which, to my knowledge, is similar in operational principles, though albeit focused on the element of Fire and Energy. And I -have- practiced with it. The True Jewel? No, but if I had used it, then I wouldn't need to attune to it, eh?" She smiles a bit more. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Ordinarily, we'd ask King Tylor to do it, but..." She holds her hands out helplessly. Drake frowns slightly, then says, "Well, I fear this could have very strange effects on everything. I know Father was very loathe to tamper with the weather. But desperate times..." He clenches his fists and looks very angry for a moment, and then the storm passes. "Come, your highness, and everyone else. Follow me." He pivots on one foot and walks out. Corrine nods, and follows as well. "Oh, beleive me, I have no intention to tamper more with the weather than we have to, Drake." Hiko the Firechilde says nothing, not knowing Drake very well, but the set of her eyes indicates surprise. Corrine looks at Yuriko. "For that matter, your highness, when will the next nights of the Full Moon be?" Drake launches into a long talk about meterology that flies way over the head of both of you, but from which you get the vague gist that the weather is all oen big connected system and if you push it in one place, the results can be unpredictable. Yuriko says, "It's the new moon now, so two weeks." Corrine nods, getting a bit of the Meterology talk, at least how it relates to forests. Hey, she -has- gone to college in Shadow... Corrine nods. "That gives us more than a decent window to find Shizumaru and the rest... though practice will still be needed... Hrm." She looks more thoughtful. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "But if we do some minor manipulation on only a few nights...?" Drake says, "The flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane somewhere else. But I suppose we must take the chance, as the Gate opening would be far worse, and yet..." He frowns deeply. You start down the stairs to the basement. Corrine says, "Working with what's there, yes... Some enhancement.... yes, Drake?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What is it, Uncle Drake?" Drake frowns and pulls out a silver knife, then stabs his hand with it. He then holds it hilt forward towards Corrine. "Time to show you are who you appear to be," he says. Corrine raises her eyebrows, and then chuckles and nods. "I fully agree." Corrine accepts the knife, takes it, and slices along her finger in a professional fasion. Hiko the Firechilde shudders, and runs her fingertip along the blade as well. Corrine says, "Do I get a band-aid after this? Bleeding on the Pattern would, quite simply, suck." Drake grins and passes a handkerchief to Corrine. "Here you go." Hiko the Firechilde sucks on her bleeding finger. Corrine smiles, and blots the wound with the hankercheif, allowing for her Mad Endurance Skillz to kick in and clot things, then hands the hankerchief to Hiko. Corrine says, "As you said, 'Desperate Times', Drake." You soon reach the vaults. Hiko the Firechilde wraps her finger up and waits for the wound to heal as well. Drake pulls out a ring of keys and begins unlocking the five locks. He then ushers you into a room full of valuable things, all piled up on shelves and in boxes. A veritable King's ransom. Drake suddenly vanishes. Corrine whistles quietly. As always, she's nicely awed by the loot all around, but more focussed on the mission at hand. Corrine *blinks* Hiko the Firechilde BLINKS. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Wha--?" About ten seconds later, he reappears and one of the walls slides open. Corrine frowns, and then sighs. "Jeeeze, don't DO that..." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What in the world was that? A counter measure?" Drake says, "A precaution." You page, "did Corrine go through that when Tylor got the DemiJewel for her before she went to repair Ember?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Tylor didn't bother hiding how to open the secret panel :)" to you. You page, "Ahhh, okay. :) Corrine just got twitched about Drake poofing like that. :) Just needed the ref for "From the Ashes"" to Akemi. Hiko the Firechilde nods. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Wise." Beyond the sliding panel is a small closet with several especially precious items in it. One of them is a dark red gem inside which dances a slowly rotating Pattern. The gem is set on a platinum chain. Queen Yuriko walks over, picks up the gem on a chain, and brings it over, then slings it around Corrine's neck. Corrine bows her head respecfully as Yuriko does so, and then looks down at the Jewel around her neck. It looks a lot like the Fire Jewel, but darker red. It's also about two inches larger in diameter. You'd seen your father wear it many times, and Tylor a few times. But it always draws in the eye, making people stare, its Pattern dancing hypnotically. Corrine nods as she studies the True Jewel, running a finger along its surface. "Right. ... let's go do this before I chicken out, okay?" She quirks a slight smile. Drake looks at an empty spot on the shelf, then shudders. "Some poor fool got stuck with that cow..." He sighs, then ushers everyone out, vanishes again, and the closet closes. You page, "Hm. I think I might need my math double-checked, but I -think- I've got my current round of improvements plotted out, and with 11 good stuff, still." to Akemi. Corrine curiously glances at the empty spot. Corrine does so as they exit, that is. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Er, yes... I've got the cow. Damned if I know what it does, really, and I'm sure I don't want to know." It's a short trip to the Pattern chamber; the squad of guards salute as you approach. Drake twitches. "You're carrying the...the cow WITH YOU???" Corrine asks, "Um, 'The Cow', the Warden Sister asks?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Yes, the cow. King Tylor gave it to me before we left." Drake says, "He didn't give you the cowbell too, did he?" Hiko the Firechilde nods towards her chambers. "It's in my satchel. Just the cow, not the bell." Drake says, "Don't carry the cow unless you have to. It's been known to go off at the worst possible times." The guards let you into the Pattern Chamber. The Pattern glows in the torchlight as usual. Corrine hehs a bit, and smiles slightly at the Pattern. She then hrms, looking down at the Jewel of Judgement, and then at her finger, making -sure- it's healed. Hiko the Firechilde nods. Hiko the Firechilde looks around at the Pattern chamber. "Did you feel that?" Corrine blinks at Hiko. "Hrm?" You page, "-did- Corrine feel anything?" to Akemi. Hiko the Firechilde says, "My 'bad feeling' sense just went off." Drake says, "Feel what?" You page, "[Corrine] Psyche. Must Improve. Must Link Good Stuff to Psyche." to Akemi. Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Remember when we were last here, and there was a 'bug'?" Corrine frowns a bit. "Well, -last- time I was here, I almost got mentally dominated on the pattern..." She then blinks at Hiko. Drake nods. "Good idea. I'll start searching." He concentrates, then begins looking around the room. Corrine asks, "Excuse me?" Corrine looks at Hiko, while absently rubbing her bracelet. Yuriko orders the guards in to search as well. You page, "This is corrine, starting to draw on the Fire DemiJewel power to boost her mind in case of mental assualt...." to Akemi. Hiko the Firechilde searches as well. Corrine looks to Misaki, making sure she's ready to do her job and search/protect as well. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Rhianna attacked an insect that originated from Annadil." Hiko the Firechilde says, "It was while you were walking the Pattern." Misaki has started looking around as well. Akemi pages, "Okay, you're drawing power." to you. Corrine frowns. "Oh, cute. He must have been using it as a link, though I didn't recognize who was trumping me at the time... the Pattern protected me, for what it's worth." She looks around visually. You page, "I forget, any special sensing-abilities that the Fire DemiJewel can grant? I know Corrine doesn't have Pattern Lens, but I wonder if there's something else she can use...." to Akemi. You page, "Oh, and scan for Trump Energies in the Pattern Chamber." to Akemi. Queen Yuriko curses Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Yes?" Corrine asks, "Yuriko?" Queen Yuriko says, "OOC I cursed because I the GM crashed." Corrine OOCly says, "Oooooh." A thorough search reveals absolutely nothing whatsoever. Hiko the Firechilde shivers. "I don't like this... I believe we should be on our guard." Corrine frowns, and nods. "I agree." She then hrms. You page, "True Jewel attunement should work no matter what pattern is used to attune on, right?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Right." to you. You page, "So, there's nothing stopping Corrine for having the attunement made on the -Fire- Pattern, right?" to Akemi. Corrine asks, "Hrm. Question. Does the attunement -need- to be made on this Pattern?" Queen Yuriko exclaims, "OOC DAMNATION!!!!!!!!" Corrine OOCly meeps, and patpats. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "eep?" Queen Yuriko says, "AAAAAAAAAA." Corrine OOCly says, "What got hosed, John..." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "What's wrong?" Queen Yuriko says, "OOC I don't know, I just keep bouncing like a mexican jumping bean." Drake says, "I suppose Rebma would work as well as this." Corrine grins a bit. "What about, say, the Fire Pattern?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Would that be safe?" Queen Yuriko says, "Drake says, "To the Jewel of Judgement, all Patterns are the same, so I think that would work."" Corrine says, "I shouldn't see why -not-, given I attuned to the Fire Jewel here... If you're still getting the Bad Feeling up there, Hiko, then we'll abort trying it there." Drake says, "I suppose Rebma would work as well as here." Hiko the Firechilde thinks... Hiko the Firechilde shakes her head. "Feeling's gone... but let's adjourn to the Fire Pattern in any case. Perhaps you should come with us, Drake." Corrine reaches for her trump deck, and fishes out a trump. "So, decision?" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Er, Uncle Drake." Yuriko says, "Drake, you go with them. I need to stay Yuriko says, "Stay here." Corrine says, "Right." She smiles. "Brother, Misaki, Hiko, take my hand." Drake takes your hand. Hiko the Firechilde clasps Yuriko's hands. "I pray to the kami that King Tylor recovers." SHe moves to Corrine and takes her hands. Yuriko waves farewell to you as you all trump out. Corrine steps through, taking them to the Fire Pattern chamber, basalt floor and warmly glowing walls and ceiling, the Fire Pattern tracery in the floor glowing like captive ruby fire in the rock. Corrine pulls them all through, then lets go, putting away the trump. "Any bad feelings still, Hiko?" Hiko the Firechilde checks. Corrine allows her Ember Sense to evaluate things as well. Akemi pages, "Everything seems just hunky dory" to you. You page, "Phew. Coolness." to Akemi. Hiko the Firechilde shakes her head. "Still there." Corrine allows herself to relax, and then pauses. She looks at Hiko again. "Erm? But you'd said it had vanished after we checked down in Kolvir." Drake looks around in interest. "Hmm." Hiko the Firechilde shivers. "I have no idea where it's coming from." Hiko the Firechilde says, "It bothers me." Hiko the Firechilde checks and rechecks the Pattern with her psychic and magical energies. Corrine frowns. "Damn, but I'm not picking up anything. But I don't see many alternatives for elsewhere... we can play Pattern Hopscotch all day... why -you'd- be getting the warning and me not when I'm the one who's going to be at risk..." She shakes her head, sighing. Corrine then quirks a rueful smile to Drake. "Oh, and Drake? Welcome to Ember, the Kingdom in the Sun." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Maybe I shouldn't be here." Corrine hrms. "Try leaving the area... go out in the hall, and see if the feeling vanishes?" Hiko the Firechilde looks down at her ring, then nods abruptly. Hiko the Firechilde goes out into the hall. You page, "-Any- clue as to why Hiko's danger sense would be pinging and Corrine's not?" to Akemi. You page, "*pause* Unless it's her Chaos blood pinging on it...." to Akemi. Corrine calls out. "Any better, Hiko?" Akemi pages, "She must have some sort of sense you don't." to you. Akemi pages, "Or it could be because she's got Chaos Blood." to you. Akemi pages, "And it's sensing something." to you. Hiko the Firechilde calls back. "Just as bad." You page, "Right. Wacky. Of course, Corrine doesn't KNOW she has Chaos blood... *wry look*" to Akemi. Corrine frowns. "Well, fuck. Have you been picking up anything, Drake?" Hiko the Firechilde concentrates fiercely, building a spell to see if she can find out where the bad feeling's originating from. Tybalt has arrived. Corrine checks again with DemiJewel and Trump senses for anything out of the ordinary in the area. A bunch of smoke boils up out of the center of the Pattern, forming into Gabrielle. "MOM! Cousin HIKO!" *glomp* Hiko the Firechilde walks back into the chamber. "Gabrielle!" Corrine blinks, and SMILES, hugging her daughter from where she stands at the edge of the Fire Pattern chamber. "GABRIELLE!" She hugs her daughter tight. Corrine says, "Oh by the Pyricorn I missed you so, dear fireheart...." Drake blinks at Gabrielle. Corrine gives her daughter a kiss on the forehead, running a hand through her blonde hair. "...so many things I've seen and learned... like how much I missed you..." Gabrielle huggles Corrine tight. "Never do thatagain! I was looking for you, and Icouldn't findyou, and Hiko couldn't find you either, and Dad was worried...." Hiko the Firechilde frowns (Where the FUCK is this feeling coming from?) Corrine giggles a bit. "I'll try not to, dear... it wasn't entirely my initative to do so..." Corrine lifts her head, and smiles over at Drake. "Drake? Meet my daughter, Gabrielle. Gabrielle? Meet one of your Uncles, Prince Drake of Amber." Corrine looks over at Hiko with concern. Drake blinks, then bows gracefully to Gabrielle. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gabrielle." Gabrielle says, "Neat!" *poof* Gabrielle is suddenly dressed in a miniature version of Corrine's royal regalia. "I'm Gabrielle, Princess of Ember!" She bows. "Nice to meet you!" Hiko the Firechilde says, "that's it..." Corrine hrms, considering, looking at Hiko still. "Hm... if it's not something external, then perhaps something internal? ... hrm?" Corrine asks, "What?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "I don't think that you should walk the Pattern... every time we get near one, it happens." Corrine blinks. Gabrielle claps her hands. "Sooooo..... what'd you bring me?" She giggles. Corrine asks, "Erm?" Drake says, "If it wasn't so draining, I'd suggest you walk the Pattern first without the Jewel, to make sure you don't have any suicidal impulses in your head." He continues, "It's possible you may have been programmed to jump off." Corrine considers. "Time for me to have a brain check -before- I walk, then?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "I can check before you walk." Corrine nods. "If you don't find anything, I'll get my court mage or Catherine to double-check." Corrine moves over to Hiko, ready to do this thing. Gabrielle pikus. Hiko the Firechilde put a hand on either side of Corrine's head. Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Before she delves inside, she asks Corrine, "Are you sure that's Gabrielle? I'm jumping at shadows here, but..."" (to you and Akemi) Gabrielle walks over to this pleasant little tableau. "Hiko, what are you doing to Mom?" Her voice has a small edge in it you haven't heard before, and her eyes glow red for a second. You page, "[Corrine] .... I can check by reaching through the demi-jewel and contacting her directly, or using a Trump to check, since I've also painted one of her... Head outside for a moment?" to Akemi and Foxtrot. Drake watches all this, looking amused. Hiko the Firechilde blinks. "Yes," she says outloud. "We need to go outside for this." Corrine pauses, glancing at Gabrielle. "Hiko's just checking on something, dear..." You page, "Okay, Corrine's reaching through the Fire Demi-Jewel to check with Gabrielle Directly. Well, as soon as they get out in the hall." to Akemi. Corrine smiles. "We'll be back in a few seconds, dear...." Akemi pages, "Corrine is contacting Gaby directly by her link to the Fire Demi-Jewel." to you and Mercutio. Mercutio pages, "Okay.... and?" to you and Akemi. Out in the hall, Hiko pauses, then delves inside. Gabrielle follows suspiciously. Foxtrot lowers the cattle prod gingerly and approaches the psychic backdoor carefully, probing it with her mind. (to you and Akemi) You page, "Corrine wants to check that Gabrielle really is Gabrielle, since Hiko's -still- worried that somebody might have tampered with Corrine's mind to make her harm the Pattern or Gabrielle or whatnot." to Akemi and Mercutio. You page-pose, "Aerianne wasn't aware Corrine HAD a psychic backdoor here." to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Hiko says, her voice muffled. "It's here..."" (to you and Akemi) You page, "[Corrine] What is? *confusion*" to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Someone's been here recently, can you think who?" (to you and Akemi) Mercutio pages, "Well, Gabrielle doesn't know howtoprove it, beyond being full of rich, Patterny goodness." to you and Akemi. You page, "Well, the fact that she DID reach Gaby via the Jewel, which others wouldn't be able to do, and being full of Patterny Goodness helps weigh in her favor strongly." to Akemi and Mercutio. Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Don't know who created it, but I want to know where it goes." (to you and Akemi) You page, "[Corrine] ... Recently? I pattern-walked two weeks ago, which should have reset everything. Then there was the assault on the squid, and I got influenced by Hummingbird a bit before throwing the damn thing away... that was the sword I carried. Then Tess... Juri of Avalon's sister ... scanned my mind before pulling us through to heal Juri. Then we ran around a bit again, confronted the MacFinndos in the Abyss before heading to Juri of Avalon's home to reevaluate options...." to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot lowers the cattle prod gingerly and nods. "I'm going to remove it... hopefully that should make things all better." (to you and Akemi) You page, "[Corrine] ... at which point we hunted down the squid again, with Gideon's help... we got on board, and met the Finndo with No Name, pulled out the Squid's power source, which shut it down, and then finally we escaped to the vicinity of the Font, while Findy was trying to Batter her way in through Trump. Then we encountered Annadil before escaping... I did trump Utena in the interim,b ut we didn't go through." to Foxtrot. You page, "[Corrine] ... at which point we hunted down the squid again, with Gideon's help... we got on board, and met the Finndo with No Name, pulled out the Squid's power source, which shut it down, and then finally we escaped to the vicinity of the Font, while Findy was trying to Batter her way in through Trump. Then we encountered Annadil before escaping... I did trump Utena in the interim,b ut we didn't go through." to Akemi and Foxtrot. You page, "[Corrine] Do it, Hiko. I'm getting Sick And Tired of people screwing with my mind. Really, -really- fucking tired of it. *sigh*" to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot lowers the cattle prod gingerly and nods. "It's gone. I'm still concerned about Gabrielle, though." (to you and Akemi) You page, "[Corrine] Has the bad feeling vanished? I'm able to reach her through the Demi-Jewel, which only she should be able to be reachable from...." to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Diminished, but not gone completely." (to you and Akemi) You page, "[Corrine] That's how I was able to get her to activate things when we got back to this universe. Hm." to Akemi and Foxtrot. You page, "[Corrine] Let me see if Manifestation Shutdown will help alleviate it more?" to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot lowers the cattle prod gingerly and nods wearily. "I hate not knowing what this is." (to you and Akemi) Corrine hrms. "Gabrielle? Could you shut down the manifestations I'm wearing for the moment? We need to check something." You page, "[Corrine sighs. "So do I. Very much."]" to Akemi and Foxtrot. Gabrielle blinks. "Are you SURE, Mom?" Corrine says, "If Hiko's bad feeling doesn't go away because of it, we can turn them back on, Gabrielle... We've managed to narrow things down a little, clean out some things from my head, but we're not completely done yet." Gabrielle says, "Okay..... I guess...." She waves a hand, and the jewels Corrine is wearing sputter and die. Corrine and Hiko and Gabrielle are still out in the Hallway to the Fire Pattern Chamber, I assume... Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "WE are." Corrine looks at Hiko. "How do things feel now, Hiko?" Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Not much better... worse, in fact." (to you and Akemi) You page, "I -should- have figured you wouldn't have made this easy for our little happy group, John... ^_-;" to Akemi. You page, "[Corrine blinks.]" to Akemi and Foxtrot. Foxtrot lowers the cattle prod gingerly and 's hands shake. "It's bad........" (to you and Akemi) Hiko's skin ripples as if she was water, like a wave from her brow to her feet, then settles down. Corrine asks, "Gabrielle? Tunr my manifestations back on... EH?" Hiko the Firechilde winces, and falls to the ground, shaking. Corrine stares at Hiko. "HIKO?!" Hiko the Firechilde mutters, "...shitshitshitfuckthathurt..." Corrine exclaims, "Gabrille! Get Doctor Tofu and Mia! NOW!" Gabrielle blinks, and turns her Mom's gems back on. "Right!" There is a flash of light and a very surprised Mia and Dr. Tofu drop out of rainbow colored circles of light. Hiko the Firechilde shudders and shakes. Corrine looks worriedly at Hiko. "Mia? Dr. Tofu? Something's wrong with my niece, and we don't know -what-." You page, "*blink*" to Akemi. You page, "Lemme guess." to Akemi. Dr. Tofu nods and comes over to Hiko. "what are the symptoms?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hurts. Bad feeling. Hurts." You page, "Hiko. Chaos blood. Scratched herself with a -silver blade-. And is also wearing a Gaby -Fire Demi Jewel- manifestation...." to Akemi. Mia goes over to Corrine, "What's the problem, your highness?" Akemi pages, "We shall see...:)" to you. Corrine says, "My neice has suddenly fallen ill, and we're not certain fo the cause, but I suspect something pattern-related or other reaction. She was stating about feeling a 'Bad Feeling' as we headed for the Pattern Chamber in Kolvir, and when we came back here, it didn't help much. She found mental tampering in me, but managed to remove it. But it didn't help her bad feeling much. And when I had my manifestations flipped off by Gabrielle, the sensation only got worse." Corrine looks back into the pattern chamber. "Drake? Misaki? Get out here, we've got a situation!" They both rush out to the hallway. Tofu begins examining Hiko, pushing various pressure points. Hiko the Firechilde starts relaxing... Corrine starts explaining to Drake and Misaki the situation, still puzzled as all get out. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Body shifting... don't know how." Corrine blinks. Drake asks, "Did anything touch you just before you had the problem?" Mia begins casting a spell. Hiko the Firechilde says, "No... just her." Corrine says, "wait, before we got here... we got scratched with your blade, Drake...." Corrine says, "But it wasn't like either of us are shapeshifters or the like..." Corrine looks at Hiko with concern, and at Tofu and Mia for diagnosis. Drake passes the blade to Dr. Tofu. "Here's that knife we used." Tofu examines it and looks thoughtful. He pulls out a small potion bottle and hands it to Hiko. "Here, drink this." Hiko the Firechilde reaches up shakily and takes it in her hand. "What is it?" Hiko the Firechilde smiles wanly. "Will it turn my hair purple?" Tofu says, "It's supposed to help stabilize people's forms and prevent shapeshifting." "It's also useful for stopping cancers." Hiko the Firechilde drinks. Corrine chews her lower lip, worried. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Still bad feeling... Yes, Gabrielle?" Her eyes are unfocused, like she's having a mental conversation. Corrine blinks. Corrine says, "How can you be talkign with ... gabrielle...." Drake looks thoughtful again. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay... watch her, folks..." Corrine looks down at her manifestations. She then examines Hiko for, oh, say, any golden rings with rubies.... Drake says, "You know, it is possible that something has been done to Hiko's mind, which is why she's the only one who is feeling anything bad is going to happen." Gabrielle says, "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just checking for brain damage." She frowns. "You have an odd brain. Like its been damaged and repaired a lot." Hiko the Firechilde says, "You'll excuse me if I don't trust anyone fully right now, especially if you're in my mind." Hiko the Firechilde smiles ruefully. "And it has... thanks to-- WAKABA!" Hiko the Firechilde blinks... Corrine -blinks-. Corrine asks, "Wha?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "She was in my mind... when I first got here." Hiko the Firechilde asks, "When was it discovered that she went over to the side of the enemy?" Hiko the Firechilde talks outloud, but is still clearly in mental contact with Gabrielle. Corrine asks, "Erm... here-as-in-Amber the first time, or when here-as-in-up-to-Ember the first time? Or this recent time?" Gabrielle frowns. "Mm. What's behind this inner ring of barriers?" She gives them a little nudge. Hiko the Firechilde says, "When I first got here." Hiko the Firechilde says, "In Amber, I mean." Corrine says, "When Shaft figured out that she was wearing a Lion Spikard, the same as the Embran Wakaba." Hiko the Firechilde raises her hand. "I had a spikard from Annadil... but the Unicorn removed his influence from the ring..." Corrine says, "Which would have been..." *thinks* "Hell, a month and a week ago, or so, since that was when Shaft and I and Grandfather got back down to Amber after debugging Utena from Wakaba/Annadil's influence." Tofu says, "Well, I think I see part of the problem." Corrine groans. "Great. ANOTHER spikard. The damn things are popping up like -weeds-." Corrine asks, "Yes, Dr. Tofu?" He continues, "You were in an intense state of anxiety and nervousness when this happened, right?" Hiko the Firechilde nods. He looks you up and down. "I assume you've been in hand-to-hand combat recently?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Yes..." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Hence the eyepatch..." He nods. "Did you get any of the other person's blood on you?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "I think so..." He nods again. "Were they Chaosian?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Don't know." He nods one more time. "I would guess that your opponent was chaosian and you've been invaded by their blood." Hiko the Firechilde says, "How do I get rid of it." He continues, "Which may also have activated latent abilities of your own. I'd suggest a Pattern Walk." He continues, "Or I can flush your system, but you'll be out of it for a few days." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I can do that... I think." Gabrielle blinks. "Cousin Hiko DOES have the Blood of Chaos." A full-scale diagram of Hiko's body apears in the air next to her. "See? Here, and here, and I don't know what THIS is but it's shiny..." Corrine says, "The combat was at the Keep of the Five Worlds, which is now in Annadil's control.... oh by the Unicorn..." She stares a bit. "... Latent Abilities, the Queen asks? And at the moment, I'd have to say that her walking -any- pattern at the moment would be foolhardy..." She looks at Tofu for suggestions and/or confirmation. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Done it before this incident. Walked the Wood Pattern twice, and this one once. But flush, yes... would be good." Hiko the Firechilde gets up, dusting her hands off. "Gabrielle? Now that we've figured out what's wrong, could you get out please?" Tofu says, "Well, if you want a good blood cleansing, we can go down to the lab and start right now. You'll be asleep a few days afterwards, though." Gabrielle blinks. "Oh, sorry." Gabrielle leaves. Corrine blinks at the mention of a Wood Pattern, but shelves any comments, looking instead at Gabrielle. "Hiko... has Blood of Chaos?" She stares. "But Juri and I definately are not Chaosian... which means Ludovicus..." She frowns a bit, and sighs. "Right. Too many inputs." Gabrielle says, "Uh-huh! She does! just like Cousin Ota!" Corrine hehs a bit, softly. "Well, -that- one I knew." Gabrielle says, "It's... what's that big word... cycle-nicety?" Drake idly rotates two rings on his left hand, looking thoughtful. Hiko the Firechilde blinks... having heard this before, and now coupled with her new knowledge. "... Janus fathered the Children..." Drake says, "Synchronicity." Gabrielle says, "That's it!" She beams. Drake says, "Janus? Who is Janus?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Janus comes, he of many faces, and fathers the Five Children..." Corrine nods. "Right. So. Analysis and outcome. Hiko should be careful with any patternblades or pattern-based equipment..." She considers, looking down at her manifestations again, then over at Gabrielle, then at Hiko's hands. "Somebody reported about in a book of Prophesy Hiko was able to claim from the Keep... it could be that 'Janus' is Annadil." You page, "Corrine is now specifically looking at Hiko's hands for any gabrielle manifestation rings." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "She's wearing a manifestation." to you. Hiko the Firechilde says, "That's my guess that's who it refers to... but that would be ludicrous." Corrine blinks, and points to one of the rings on Hiko's fingers. "Hiko... this ring. When did you get it?" She indicates the one in gold, with a band of rubies around it. You page, "Corrine's pointint to the Gabrielle Manifestation ring." to Foxtrot. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Oh, Gabrielle gave one to me, and one to Juri before we returned to Amber after you disappeared." Drake says, "Why would it be ludicrous for Annadil to be 'Janus'?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "No, it's ludicrous for Annadil to have been my father, is what I mean..." Corrine says, "Especially since it'd mean that Anandil -somehow- managed to come back after being chopped up into a thousand pieces by Juri and fed to his hounds. If Annadil was Ludovicus, that is." Corrine blinks a bit at that. "Hm... Could you give the ring to me for a moment, Hiko? The one Gabrielle gave to you?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Perhaps for that one night he was...?" She shudders, then takes the ring off and hands it to Corrine. Corrine takes the ring, and examines it carefully. "Has the Bad Feeling gone away, Hiko?" Corrine asks, "Or at least downgraded more?" Drake says, "He only had to be Ludovicus once to concieve someone." Gabrielle pouts. "Awww. I liked Hiko having a ring. Shetook me interesting places where I met horny bison!" You page, "Examining the ring manifestation for damage/tampering... given Corrine BUILT the things...." to Akemi and Mercutio. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Downgraded... still doom. Bad, doom... bad." Tofu starts to say something, then falls silent. Corrine smiles a bit at Gabrielle. "Oh, I'd love for Hiko to have it too, but given it links to the Demi-Jewel..." She looks at Hiko with concern, and then glances at Tofu, eyebrow quirked. She then looks at Mia. Corrine mumbles something about being glad the horny bison are GONE. Corrine rubs her forehead, sighing. "So where does this leave us, Tofu, Mia?" Mia says, "My magic detects no danger." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Still bad for you to be walking the Pattern with the Jewel. Don't know WHY." Tofu says, "I would suggest I take Hiko and do a blood purge, just to be sure." Corrine nods at that. "So basically, Hiko needs her system flushed of any tampering influences from her combat." She then looks at Hiko, and down at the True Jewel. Corrine asks, "But why.... ?" Tofu asks, "Why what?" Hiko the Firechilde screws up her face. "Don't KNOW why." Corrine asks, "Look, I attuned to the Fire Jewel -years- ago, relative-time here. I've used it off and on for the past four decades and change, moreso since getting everything on-line. Tylor's attuned to the true, and -he- hasn't been having problems like this, all that I know..." She considers. "If I try removing the True Jewel, and then walkign the Pattern to give my brain a reset and scrubbing, -then- should things be fine?" You page, "This is Corrine, getting to be at wit's end, here... and so's the player. *wl*" to Akemi. You page, "The only REAL problem -I- can see is that if Corrine walked with full manifestations on, there might end up being odd synergies.. but then why would HIKO be getting the Bad Feeling, not Corrine?" to Akemi. Gabrielle says, "It could just be that Cousin Hiko is wrong," Gabrielle says amicably, making a cats cradle out of ropes of living flame. "People are wrong a lot." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'm not wrong about the bad feeling." Drake says, "When it comes to the Jewel, it pays to be careful." Corrine nods. "I rested up before Attuning to the Fire Jewel, and again before repairing the Fire Pattern..." Hiko the Firechilde says, "That would work nicely, I think... getting 'rescrubbed' before walking.." Corrine asks, "Hrm. You got everything out, Hiko?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "I did, but it's best if you walked it one more time." Akemi pages, "Walking the Pattern with the manifestations has never done anything bad before." to you. Corrine nods. "I'll have Mia Double-check, and then have Drake keep a hold of the True Jewel before I walk the Pattern... downgrade to a Known Case, and see if that does anything." Corrine OOCly says, "[Corrine -- Most Brainprobed Person In Amber!]" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Corrine, the Psychic Butt-Toy!" Drake nods and holds out his hand. Queen Yuriko says, "OOC Finndy is actually in Corrine's hairclip! Okay, maybe not :)" Corrine lowers her head, and carefully removes the True Jewel from her neck, handing it back to Drake. She looks at the Jewel ruefully. Corrine OOCly says, "[Corrine] I don't usually -wear- hair-clips." Mercutio pages, "Err... did you just habe over the Demi-Jewel of Fire to drake? Doesn't Gaby need that to live?" to you. You page, "Um, no." to Mercutio. You page, "That was the -real- Jewel of Judgement, not the Demi Jewel." to Mercutio. You page, "Corrine's been waiting to attune to the primary Jewel, but for some reason Hiko's kept having a bad feeling." to Mercutio. Mercutio pages, "Well, there's a very good reason." to you. You page, "Hm?" to Mercutio. Mercutio pages, "Can't say. You'll be surprised, though. Very, very surprised." to you. You page, ".... hrm. Oh boy. I... may have a suspicion." to Mercutio. You page, "Just as long as it's a -good- suprised... *wl*" to Mercutio. Drake puts it on. Hiko the Firechilde says, "That's MUCH better..." Corrine says, "Okay... there's some weight to Hiko's warning feeling, right there." Corrine says, "gone totally, or to a low ebb." Drake looks faintly amused. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Faint tension... could be due to the residual Chaos blood." Corrine asks, "Right." She takes a deep breath. "So. Can I walk now? Does it feel like I'll get screwed over if I walk now, or are things safer?" Hiko the Firechilde says, "Safer now that you took the Jewel off." Corrine looks at Mia. "Check my brain now, just to make sure?" She nods and comes over to you, then closes her eyes and begins to chant softly. Akemi pages, "Your brain feels flowery :)" to you. You page, "Awwwww. :)" to Akemi. Gabrielle hovers around Drake, poking at the JoJ every once in awhile. "Sparkly." Mia's eyes open. "Your mind is clean, your majesty, so far as can be told by my powers." Corrine nods. "Thank you, Mia. With Hiko and your leave then, I will -now- try to walk the Pattern, and hopefully not get torn to bits or hurt it." She smiles, dryly. Hiko the Firechilde nods, tired. "If you're ready, Dr. Tofu, I think I'd like to get this Chaosian blood out of me." He offers you an arm. "Let's go, Princess Hiko." As Gabrielle reaches her finger out to touch the JoJ, an impressive arc of energy flares from it to her fingertip. She flies back across the corridor and slams into the wall, phasing out of visibility. Drake says, "Don't poke the Jewel, Gabrielle. I doubt it likes being poked." Hiko the Firechilde takes his arm. Drake ... Corrine says, ".... erm." Corrine says, "oooookay....." Drake blanches. "Your daughter..." Corrine asks, "Gabrielle??" Corrine exclaims, "GABRIELLE!" Gabrielle reappears in the corridor, flickering like a TV with bad reception. "CouLd SomeBodY Stop The pAttErN, Please.... I'd lIke tO gEt Off." Corrine looks into the Pattern Chamber, rapidly, then back at the Jewel, then down at her manifestations. "The -Hell-??" The Pattern chamber room door opens and the Red Knight steps out. "What's going on out here? I felt something awful." Hiko the Firechilde blinks, looking at Gabrielle. "It appears as if the Fire Pattern doesn't like the Jewel of Judgement much." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Or vice versa." Corrine looks at the Red Knight, relief and concern on her features. "We were about to walk the Fire Pattern to have me attune to the Jewel of Judgement, but... Good Pyricorn. WHY?" Corrine rubs her eyes again. "They're all shadows of the True Pattern, just as all the gems are shadows of the True Gem... why should there be something like that??" The Red Knight says, "Let me see it." He holds out a hand to Drake. Drake looks at the Red Knight. "And who the hell are you?" Corrine says, "He is the Red Knight. Avatar of the Fire Pattern, and my Consort and Beloved, Drake." Drake frowns deeply with the look of a man who thinks something is a bad idea, but doesn't have much choice. Corrine says, "As the Grey Knight for the Kolvir Pattern... and the Green Knight for the Wood Pattern, I imagine." Corrine looks at the Red Knight with worry. "Be careful?" Drake says, "You sure you want to touch this? It blew your daughter apart. Although she seems to have gotten better." Mercutio pages, "You know, your charred and unconscious daughter is lying on the ground in front of you." to you. You page, "Corrine's a little shocky right now at all the goings-on, please be patient with reactions. *wl*" to Akemi and Mercutio. Gabrielle says, "OOC: Althoughshe IS lying unconsicous on the ground." Corrine gets down to check on Gabrielle. You page, "*pause* .... the Pattern shouldn't have been TURNING in that Jewel, should it." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yes, the one in the fire jewel is static." to you. Corrine cradles her daughter, and motions for Mia to help check. Gabrielle lolls about in Corrine's arms. "But I don't WANT to pilot Eva, Ishmael...." Corrine says, "You won't have to, Dear...." She brushes some hair from her daughter's forehead. "The danger's gone..." . o O (What's an Eva?) Corrine blinks as something occurs to her. "Drake? Check that Jewel again." Drake nods and begins to examine the Jewel. Hiko the Firechilde says, "The mech we used to fight against the Squid from the outside." Corrine says, "The Fire Jewel's instance of the Pattern within it... was -static-. I do NOT think it should be TURNING." Drake's eyes widen. "Shit." Hiko the Firechilde thinks she might want to stick around to see what's going on. Corrine bites her lip, getting a sinking feeling. "Let me guess. Fake? Or Chaos-based?" Hiko the Firechilde (Especially after hearing Corrine's words... oi... You page, "It doesn't look like the Logrus Gem, tho, yes?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Nope." to you. Drake throws the gem on the ground , draws a whiplike sword, and strikes the Jewel with it. Corrine starts at Drake's sudden action. The gem shatters into thirteen shards. Hiko the Firechilde blinks. "Fake?" Corrine exclaims, "Gah!" Corrine asks, "What the fuck?" Gabrielle huddles in Corrines arms, mumbling about squid. Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Yay! Bad feeling was justified! Go me!" Drake falls to his knees and shudders. "So close. If you'd taken that thing onto the Pattern..." He shivers, looking more scared than you've ever seen. Corrine cuddles Gabrielle, reassuring Gabrielle that it's dead and gone, looking up at Drake... "What... what was it?" Drake says, "That was a fake. Once you walked the Pattern with it, it would open a gateway to primal chaos in the heart of the Pattern." Corrine STARES. Corrine says, "....... -no- ......" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "So the question remains: Where's the real Jewel?" Corrine SHUDDERS. Corrine hugs her daughter, tight. "Dammit, the only people I knew who were attuned to it were father and Tylor...." Drake stares at the remains. "I can only guess, but I'd say it would have blown this entire shadow to tiny chunks. With us in it. If you'd used it in Amber..." You page, "Can corrine recall if Derith was attuned to the True Jewel?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "You don't know if he was." to you. Corrine smiles a bit at Drake. "This is no Shadow, Drake. Ember is as Real as Amber." Drake rises, his face turning very dark. Gabrielle hugs back, looking cute even when slightly charred. Corrine says, "Or as Real as Rebma or Tir na'nog or Arden." Drake says, "There's only one person I know who could do this, unless Fuyutsuki has become utterly suicidal and mad." Corrine quiets a bit. "And who would that be?" Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Who?" Hiko the Firechilde OOCly cues the stinger music. The Red Knight stares at the remains, then comes over to Corrine and Gabrielle, kneeling by them. Drake says, "There are only two people in existence who understand the arts of the Pattern better than me. One of them is Fuyutsuki. And one of them is Derith." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "DUN-dun-DUUUUUN!" Corrine looks up, gratefully at the Red Knight. She shudders again, and leans into his arms, the stress and fear and concern finally kicking in. Her eyes widen. "... by the four heraldric beasts...." Gabrielle hugs the Red Knight. "don' feel good, Daddy....." Corrine checks gabrielle for any damage. *q* "Promise I'll run a full diagnostic on you, dear...." Drake says, "If Derith has betrayed Amber, I will make him die a million times. I will smash Rebma to bits and feast on the blood of the Rebmans." His voice is rising in volume as he speaks. Hiko the Firechilde says, "No one has been able to reach him lately." Shizumaru pages, "How's it going in there, if I may ask?" to you. You page, "It's... well... it's... well." to Shizumaru. You page, "Well, it's well." to Shizumaru. You page, "Or, it's its." to Shizumaru. Shizumaru pages, "Ah. o.o John apologized to me earlier for my scene going so slowly because you were about to get into trouble. ;)" to you. Shizumaru pages, "Anyway, good luck. I'm off to bed. :)" to you. Corrine sighs. "Drake, please? Do not make others pay for the sins of one... The kingdom cannot be blamed for one person's action." Corrine says, "Destroying Rebma -would- play directly into Annadil's hands." You page, "So. No True Jewel Attunement in Corrine's immediate future, I imagine... :)" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Nope." to you. You page, "Darn. Ahwell. *edits char sheets.*" to Akemi. Drake is breathing heavily. "'Look, the land wars against the sea, and both sink in flames.' Not on MY watch, dammit. Not again." Hiko the Firechilde blinks... then remembers. Corrine nods, quietly. "Exactly. There needs to be a way to prevent this, or make it look fulfilled without actually, you know, -killing- anybody who doesn't deserve it." She sighs, and checks on how her daughter is doing again., Gabrielle appears to have fallen asleep. Corrine kisses Gabrielle's brow again, sighing softly. ============================= ============================= Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Cut soon? Need to sleep, and Hiko wants the Chaosian blood out." Corrine OOCly says, "Can do soon... basically, I think we can have Drake go back to Amber in a moemnt after Corrine explains that she's going to fast-time Ember so they can be up to full speed by Amber's afternoon." Corrine OOCly says, "Evening. Whatever. And agreed on sleep. *wl*" Queen Yuriko says, "OOC We can cut. Tofu takes Hiko off and flushes her blood stream off stage, no problem." Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "Which means that I get to spend the points I got from the Keep Quest in the interim... I know already I want to spend two on strength... can I buy up in Psyche?" Corrine OOCly says, "And Corrine goes and walks the Fire Pattern and shoves up the gradient just fine so Points can be spent and things can be learned?" Queen Yuriko says, "OOC Yep. " Corrine OOCly says, "Yay! Meet again tomorrow for folks heading -back- to Amber? *wg*" Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says, "I'll be here tomorrow night, around eight my time." Corrine OOCly nods. Queen Yuriko says, "Yes, you can." *** Foxtrot goes OOC. *** Queen Yuriko says, "Raise your psyche, that is." Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay, two points in strength, one in psyche." Queen Yuriko says, "If not raising it very much, but every bit helps :)" Gabrielle says, "Well, that was productive. I had no idea the jewel would almost kill Gabrielle like that." Corrine OOCly says, "Coolness. John, I'll have an updated char sheet sent to you tomorrow, I beleive." Hiko the Firechilde grins. "It puts me even with the #1 Psyche person, unless he's bought more in the interim." Corrine OOCly says, "And I had no idea that it was a fake until Gabrielle went Zap. and DAMMIT< Corrine should've been clued when she looked at the Jewel and saw that the pattern image was MOVING... *wl*" Corrine OOCly says, "But this does allow for Hiko to get nicely scrubbed." Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "Bad auntie!" Corrine OOCly says, "Hey, we were stressed!" Hiko the Firechilde says, "You're telling me... I had no idea what it could have been." Corrine OOCly says, "I figure with all the other inputs she had to deal with, it was slipping her mind, but finally when attention was REALLY focussed on the Jewel, it clicked in her head from remembering her walk through the Fire DemiJewel." Gabrielle says, "Well, fortunatly, everythig is now cool." Corrine OOCly says, "But. Anyway. With that.... rendevous tomorrow? *wg* And Hiko'llg et the manifestation back, and even get some training for it." Hiko the Firechilde says, "I love it when my spidey sense works." Gabrielle says, "This is actually the seocnds game in a row i was almost killed by something tdesigned to dump Primal Chaos onto the Pattern." Corrine OOCly says, "Fast-time is your friend." Corrine OOCly Good lord. They seem to like that. Hiko the Firechilde says, "Rendez-vous tomorrow." Corrine OOCly says, "Right!" Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "Night, fellas!" Queen Yuriko says, "Fortunately, this time, you weren't frozen in ice while fighting Dead Swayvil, though." Corrine OOCly waves, and heads out as well. Foxtrot has left. Akemi pages, "It's a good thing you had Hiko along, or Corrine's career would likely have come messily to an end." to you. You page, "So I've noticed. *fwl* How does she have that danger sense -- spell?" to Akemi. Gabrielle asks, "Yeah. So, what happened with Shaft? Are he and Kasumi getting married?" You page, "(and so would have the majority of Ember's carreer... then again, if Hiko hadn't been around, the idea to attune wouldn't have been made in the FIRST place...)" to Akemi. You page, ""What cares he for the City of Steel? His love is for another, and for her, he will do anything." -- that's referring to Derith, ain't it." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Goat loads of Psyche plus Chaosian blood responding to the Gem's link to the logrus." to you. You page, "Oook." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "You are wise in the ways of science." to you. Queen Yuriko says, "Most likely." You page, "Heh." to Akemi. Gabrielle says, "Heh. Gendo is spinning in his grave." Corrine says, "Anyway. I think I shall head to bed now. Really." Corrine OOCly waves. Queen Yuriko exclaims, "G'nite!" Philip Moyer----------------Qapla'-------------pmoyer@jurai.net "To boldly go where no one has gone before!"-Capt. J. L. Picard "Roads? Where we're going we don't NEED roads!"-Dr. E. L. Brown "If it can be dreamed, It can be done."- ReRob Mandeville "Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection, The Lovers, ---------- The Dreamers, and Me."- Kermit The Frog ------------