From pmoyer@jurai.net Sun Nov 19 16:13:45 2000
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2000 14:07:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Philip J. Moyer <pmoyer@jurai.net>
To: John Biles <ranma@falcon.cc.ukans.edu>,
     Amy "General Chaos" Borden <aborden@soltec.net>,
     Chris Angelini <frobozz@eyrie.org>
Subject: [Amber/TAMD] Hiko -- Roundabouts, Research, and Red Knights

Dancing Ed tosses Hiko a ball of cotton candy.

Hiko the Firechilde grins.

Michelle asks, "Anyone know if Shizu just got .netbooted or if he's coming
back?"

Dancing Ed says, "He sounded like he was heading to sleep."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I think he went to bed."

Naga says, "He said he was going to sleep"

Michelle grumbles.  Well, he can get his points later.

Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "Yep... let's gaaaaame!"

Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "Ahhhh."

Akemi has arrived.

John the Ultimate Whitey says, "Okay, we'll start with Hiko, and likely I
should be able to work in Shaft a bit later, since he was going to be
heading back to Amber."

Naga falls asleep.

Juri asks, "Ready, Hiko?"

Michelle has left.

Akemi pages, "So, you up for doing Finndos tonight, Mike?  Did you reply
and I didn't notice?" to you, Kima and Mike.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Ready... last time, we left off... still in
Corrine's palace, ne?  Or did we go back to Amber?"

Juri says, "You're still in Corrine"

Juri says, "Corrine's palace."

Shaft says, "I was about to say.........."

Juri says, "Juri was about to trump back to Amber, unless you have
something you want to do here first."

Esme Pariseau OOCly can do descs for the limited time he's here before
heading elsewhere.. *wry look*

You page, "I gave my reply, but Alan/Mike haven't replied yet." to Akemi,
Kima and Mike.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Not I.  We go back to Amber.  I've got research
to do."

Mike pages, "If you take lead, I can join in in a bit." to you, Akemi and
Kima.

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

Hiko the Firechilde nods to Juri and looks at Gabrielle.  "We need to
return to Amber...  I'm sorry, but we can't help right now."

Akemi pages, "Okay, if Kima unidles before someone or another has to go,
we can do a bit more." to you, Kima and Mike.

Gabrielle noddles. "Okay!"

Akemi pages, "Phil, do you want to have Gabby give them a manifestation of
herself before they go?" to you and Mercutio.
You page, "Hmmm... Heck, sure.  Corrine would have -wanted- to present 'em
directly, but I think Gaby's self-willed enough to give 'em out herself,
knowing her Mommy's wishes.  Juri gets the "Murasamune" Gold+Ruby Rose
Signet manifestation, and Hiko gets the "Antares" Gold-ring-with-rubies
manifestation." to Akemi and Mercutio.
Akemi pages, "Sounds good." to you and Mercutio.
Mercutio pages, "Gotcha." to you and Akemi.
You page, "Gaby's descretion on how much she tells them on what they can
DO, but she knows that Mommy wears four of 'em, and Aunt Catherine (a
sorceress) uses hers, too." to Akemi and Mercutio.

Shaft OOCly pales.  "OH no, she's back."

Hiko the Firechilde looks to Juri again.  "Maybe we should contact King
Tylor again?  See what the situation is back at home?"

Rimu-chan asks, "Which one?"

Juri says, "A good idea.  "

Gabrielle exclaims, "Ooo, oo! I can do that!"

Juri says, "As I need to ask him how I can best help in the wars anyway."

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Why is Rimuchan here?"
Juri says, "OOC Because Dave isn't thinking to add the OOC tag to his
comments :)"
Rimu-chan OOC "Woops. Gods, I'm used to having THIS puppet up in the Keep.
:0"

Hiko the Firechilde smiles at Gabrielle.  "I'm sure you could, but maybe
we should do it ourselves."

Gabrielle exclaims, "Nonono, this is SPECIAL! "

Gabrielle says, "Hold out your haaaaannnds....."

Sie_Kensou pages, "Aiya. Do you have Jeff's nbr or something? o.o" to you.
Autolyca has connected.
You page, "well, Jeff's just appeared, so you can ask him. :)" to
Sie_Kensou.

Hiko the Firechilde blinks at Gabrielle, then Juri.

Juri blinks and holds out her hand.

Hiko the Firechilde holds out her hand, too.

Hiko the Firechilde looks at the ring.  "This is... gorgeous."

Gabrielle says, "OOC: Just assume it took place down here."

Juri smiles and pats Gabrielle on the head.  "Thanks for the nice
present."  She puts it on.

Gabrielle beams.

Hiko the Firechilde puts hers on, too, smiling.

You page, "it looks like:
http://www.eyrie.org/~aerianne/ember/tokens/douze-token.jpg , fyi. :)" to
Foxtrot.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Any more rings, and I'll need a second hand."

Gabrielle says, "Yay, now I can call King Tylor for you!" She rubs her
hands together, and sparks fly from them. "SHAZAM!"

A Trump Gate opens.  You see Tylor on the other side of the gate, holding
a foot long sandwich...well, it was footlong, but it just got cut in half.
He bites down and chews.

Juri bows to the King.  "Umm, should we call you back later?"

Hiko the Firechilde bows to King Tylor.  "Hello your Highness... have we
called at a bad time?"

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Replace 'waves' with 'bows'."

Vash sticks his head through the trump gate.  "This doesn't happen every
time you steal food from the kitchen, does it?"

Tylor shakes his head, swallows, then says, "Hi there, everyone.  How are
you two today?"

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "We're fine, your Highness.  We found Corrine,
but lost her again.  Her new allies are going to be continuing the
search."

Akemi pages, "Is it okay if I show Hiko the Tokens page?" to you.
You page, "neg probs. :)" to Akemi.
You page, "Somebody'll prolly end up telling her all the info eventually,
but hey." to Akemi.

Tylor shakes his head.  "Corrine never USED to vanish all the time.  Or
did she always do it when I wasn't looking?"  He looks thoughtful.  "So
what are you two planning to do next."  He looks at Gabrielle.  "Did you
have another daughter, Juri?"

Vash says, "Would anyone else like a sandwich?"

Esme Pariseau OOCly mutters something about Questing Beasts and Squids in
another timeline.

Gabrielle giggles. "Nope! I'm Gabrielle, Princess of Ember!" There's a
*poof,* and Gabby is wearing a miniature version of Corrine's dress.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I need to do some more research in the Royal
Libraries."

He bows to Gabrielle with a flourish.  "A pleasure to meet you, your
highness."  He turns to Juri.  "I will be needing you to go kick some
people in the head soon, sister."  She nods.  He turns back to Hiko.  "I
will tell Travis to assist you."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Can you pull us through?"

Gabrielle says, "OOC: It's a Trump Gate. You can just walk."

Tylor nods.  "Yes, but but don't be too loud; Vash and I are conducting a
covert raid on the kitchens, and liberating a midnight snack."

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "I didn't KNOW that, okay?"

You page-pose, "Aerianne stares at the Noble Collection catalouge.  The
"Lionheart Ring",a silver ring with a gold lion's head with two rubies for
eyes.  Aieeeeee, it's a Lion Spikard!" to Akemi.

Juri says, "OOC Umm, I said a Trump Gate opened up, Trish."

Hiko the Firechilde nods, then walks through.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCly  thwaps herself.  "So you did."

Juri follows you.

In the kitchen, Vash is busily making sandwiches as Tylor talks to you.
It's dark and quiet; must be night here.  You have impression Ember must
not have a real 'night.'

Gabrielle waves goodbye to Hiko and Juri and Tylor and Vash. "Bye girls!
Bye your hignesses! I'll tell Mom where you went when she finishes with
the Ravager Beast!"

Hiko the Firechilde whispers, "How many days have passed since we last saw
you?"

Juri exclaims, "Thank you, Gabrielle!"

Gabrielle says, "And when you see Ota-san, tell him he's better call or
visit!" She shakes a fist at the air, and then the Trump closes.

Tylor says, "You've been gone about a day."

Shaft OOCly pales

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "I take it the negotiations with the ambassadors
went well?"

Tylor nods.

Tylor says, "We need to send forces to deal with a massive fleet and army
moving against the Isle of Emeralds.  The Sea Peoples are on the move
again.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Sea Peoples?"

Hiko the Firechilde realizes that she's hungry, and starts to make herself
a sandwich.

Tylor says, "The Sea Peoples are a group of oceanic nomads who launched a
major attack on us a few years ago.  We drove them off, but it looks like
they're coming back for a second round.  With Kozue having run off into
Shadow with half our fleet, I need Juri to organize a new fleet and take
it to the aid of our allies on the Island of Emeralds."

Juri frowns intensely.  "She took half the fleet?"

You page, "Oh... http://www.eyrie.org/~aerianne/dld/amber/corrine.bed.jpg
and corrine.darako.b.jpg" to Mike.
You page, "(Opionions greatly wanted on the latter, like what her spikard
looked like when she had it.)" to Mike.

Tylor nods.  "She took the Shalomar fleet and sailed off into shadow with
it."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Is she all healed now?  Or is she sulking?"

Tylor says, "She is healed and sulking."

TYLOR says that.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Ah, I see."

Hiko the Firechilde finishes making her sandwich and sits down to eat.

Tylor sighs.  "I fear she may have fallen under Annadil's influence.  Or
possibly her anger is about to make her do something crazy."

Vash finishes his footlong.  "Would you like something, Juri?" he asks.

Juri says, "Give me a six inch roastbeef, please."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Tell us all the news... what's gone on  since
we left?"

Shaft says, "OOCly back later, clocking out, driving home"
Rod has disconnected.
>> gute Nacht
Dancing Ed says, "Later, Rod."

Mike pages, "Heh. The first pic is adorable. :)" to you.
You page, "Yay! ^_^" to Mike.

Juri goes and waits for her sandwich.

Tylor says, "Well, let's see.  Drake and Nanami managed to rescue Yuriko
from the coup in Kashfa, but Wakaba seems to have fallen under Annadil's
sway and is running around somewhere in Shadow."

Mike pages, "As for the second... Spikard?" to you.
Mike pages, "I don't believe Dar ever had a spikard." to you.
You page, "I thought Darako had her hands on a Spikard at one point." to
Mike.
Mike pages, "She was briefly in possessing of Cunne, but took it directly
to Tess, and certainly never wore it. It was in her possession for all of
twenty minutes or so." to you.

Tylor perches on a stool, alternating eating and talking.  "Shinobu is
having fairly good luck against the Therin army, although she's worried
because there's rumors some army is marching through shadow to reinforce
them."  Bite, chew, swallow.  "Ota just got back successfully from his
quest."

You page, "Ah, so ka.  Okay. Any other rings or Jewelery she wore?  If
not, I won't bother with that hand's finger." to Mike.
Mike pages, "No rings, though she occasionally used brass knuckles." to
you.
You page, "Right.  I'll just erase that comment then.  Opinion on the pic
in general?" to Mike.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "That's great!  Where was the Sword?"

Tylor says, "I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I understand it was
in the shadow where Gil-Galad was being held captive, so he managed to
rescue Gil-Galad as well."

Juri perks up.  "So Gil-Galad was alive after all?"

Hiko the Firechilde nods, and smiles.  "He's the uncle who was an elf,
correct?"

Tylor nods.  "I assumed he must have died, but he's been rotting in a cell
for centuries instead."  He turns to Hiko after taking another bite of
sandwich.  Crumbs fly as he says, "Half-elf.  His mother was Findulias, an
elf-maid."

Juri nods.  "One of Father's mistresses."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Findulias?  The woman who was in the squid?"

Juri shakes her head.  "A mere coincidence of name.  As I understand it,
that Findulias isn't even from our universe.  And she didn't look like
Gil-Galad's mother, either.  Not much, anyway."

Juri asks, "Where is Gil-Galad now?  I will probably go see him tomorrow
before I begin my naval duties."

Tylor says, "He's asleep by now, I think.  He's become a lot quieter and
more subdued than he used to be; in the old days, he would probably just
now be finishing going drinking, but he turned in right after dinner."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Having to deal with the possibility of multiple
shadows is bad enough.  But multiple universes?"  She shakes her head.  "I
think I feel like I could sleep, myself."

Mike pages, "Looks very nice... the faces look a bit odd, but I'm assuming
that's due to the prep for color." to you.
You page, "Well, yeah.  Corrine's face on the left, and worked to mirror
it on the right.  My usual style, but it was the second time I'd drawn
Corrine's face from that side.  And yeah, bigger than normal, given the
image's scale.  We'll see how they look after inking and I detail their
irises and pupils." to Mike.
You page, "With your approval, I plan to ink tomorrow. :)" to Mike.
Mike pages, "Go for it." to you.
You page, "Coolness.  Now I just gotta find a suitable "mirror" quote...
:)" to Mike.

Tylor finishes off his sandwich.  "It does get rather confusing."

Vash says, "Shadows from other universes?  What?"

He looks rather confused.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "It's all very confusing to me, too..."

Hiko the Firechilde yawns.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Another day, then?  I think I can work better
on a good night's rest."

Juri nods.

Juri says, "It has been a long and tiring day.  Goodnight, everyone."

Hiko the Firechilde makes her farewells, then goes back to her chambers.

You page, "Oh, question for something writing later... where are Corrine
and Juri's quarters in relation to each other in Castle Amber?" to Akemi.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Fast forward to the next day?"
Juri says, "OOC Yep.  You go home, you sleep, you rest, you wake up
refreshed."

Hiko the Firechilde takes the time to rerack her spells, then seeks out
the Royal Libraries.

AND the Librarian.

Ook!

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Not tht one!"

You head down to the library without any problems after getting some
breakfast.  You find Travis busilly showing a flock of children around the
library.

Hiko the Firechilde waits patiently, looking around to see if Snickers is
around as well.

Something brown and furry streaks past you, chasing a dustbunny.

Hiko the Firechilde smiles and calls out, "Is that you, Snickers?"

Snickers shouts, "Yes," and vanishes among the stacks.

Dancing Ed grins wryly. "Snickers has fun chasing some of the...
stranger... fauna here."

Hiko the Firechilde giggles, and sits down to wait for Travis to finish
with the wee kiddies.

Travis, the Royal Librarian finishes giving the children the highlights,
then suggests they watch Snickers play as an introduction to the odder
hazards of research in the Library. "And what can I do for you, Miss
Hiko?"

Jeff-kun OOC thinks that dust bunny must be from Dworkin's lab itf it
needs chasing
Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "It followed the Gumi from the Squid.  Really."

Hiko the Firechilde bows to Travis.  "I'm in need of much research,
particularly into the Unicorn Prophecies."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Any books you can point me towards?"

Travis, the Royal Librarian nods. "An intriguing subject, particularly to
those with a mystical bent."

Mike pages, "Hmm. The mirror bit from Lady of Shallot probably won't do."
to you.
You page, "I looked at it, and it felt -close-, but not right.  The mirror
comment by Polonius in Hamlet is -right- out.  I'm gonna hit the
University library's reference section tomorrow, and see what they've
got." to Mike.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "It's sort of become relevant."

Travis, the Royal Librarian picks up a book titled _Sayings of the
Unicorn_, by Nostradamus. "This one is an interesting one to start with,
although it doesn't get much above third-grade level."

Hiko the Firechilde takes the book.  "I was also wondering if you had any
books about the Icons?"

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "_Getting Horny_ is, alas, a very
informative book crippled by a sense of humor that never managed to leave
the gutter."

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "_Prophecies for Dummies_ has a couple
of useful bits in its section on the Unicorn, but only worth a quick look
in passing."

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.  "I see."  She adds it to her stack.

Mike pages, ""I know when one is dead, and when one lives;  /  She's dead
as earth. Lend me a looking-glass;  /  If that her breath will mist or
stain the stone,  /  Why, then she lives." - King Lear, Act 5 Scene 3." to
you.
You page, "Hrmmm.  That could work, yes...." to Mike.

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "As far as the Icons go... there are
some bits in a couple of the books on famous magical artifacts."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "How famous are they?  Who created them?"

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "Takashi's _Artifacts of Near Amber_ is
a good place to start."

Hiko the Firechilde takes that book, too, and realizes that she might need
a bag or a cart or something.

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "The origins of the artifacts are lost
in antiquity. The Temple of the Unicorn held them for quite some time, and
they have gained a modicum of fame from that."

You page, "(right.  search on "mirror", "looking-glass", and "reflection",
and I'll get a better range of search.)" to Mike.

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "The Dorians stole most of them during
the Day of Darkness, but the Temple of the Unicorn would still be a good
place to investigate further; they have a couple of books that I haven't
been able to obtain copies of."

Rod has connected.
>> Evil spelled backwards is live, and we all want to live, don't we?

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "One final book to check would be
_Unicorn Augurium_." Travis heads back into the stacks to look for it.

Hiko the Firechilde nods at Travis' back, then starts to speed read,
absorbing the material quickly.

There is a rending crash from back in the stacks, and a huge puff of dust
rises above the level of the shelves. It sounded like a large stack of
books just fell over on someone.

Foxtrot drops Vixxy.
Vixxy has left.

A few moments later, a rather dusty librarian emerges, holding a book by
his fingertips. "I believe this is the one you want.

As tends to be the case with prophecies, the books are dense and often
confusing and seemingly contradictory.  And some of them are only obvious
after the fact, such as 'Fido will assault the City of Flames when the
Phoenix rises from the Ashes'

Hiko the Firechilde shakes her head as she reads, looking up at Travis.
"Are you okay?"

Travis, the Royal Librarian shrugs and grins wryly. "Happens all the time.
You get used to it."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Not hurt?"

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "When your books are often a little
sentient, they want to get out for some fresh air once in a while."

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.

Travis, the Royal Librarian says, "Nope. Just picked up some dust."

Esme Pariseau OOCly stares at that Prophesy in that one book.
Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "AAAAAAAAAAAH."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay... well, I think this should help."

Hiko the Firechilde hefts the books.  "I'll send them back once I'm done
making my notes."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "And can you tell me how to get to the Temple of
the Unicorn?"

Travis, the Royal Librarian nods, and gives her a set of directions that
gets her there quickly, and takes her by some interesting sights along the
way.

Hiko the Firechilde goes back to her room to finishe speed reading the
books.

Okay, you sit down and read through the books.  What specific topics are
you looking for clues on?

*** Foxtrot goes OOC. ***

Hiko the Firechilde says, "the exact nature of the prophecies, who set
them forth."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Any info on what the Heart can do, why it's an
artifact.  How it works."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "How the five work together to open the Gate."

Juri says, "OOC Righto."

Dancing Ed OOCly says, "Time to get some sleep. Seeya all later..."
Windir falls asleep.

There are many different sets of prophecies, collected by various oracles
and high priests of the Unicorn over the years.  The Prophecies of the
Unicorn proper, were delivered by Fuyutsuki to the first High Priest; he
claimed that the Unicorn wrote them.

The Icons' origins are unknown, but it is known that together, they can
close the Forbidden Gate (Indeed, only they can close the gate).  The keys
to OPEN the gate are different, and rumored to consist of the two Pattern
Blades and two matching Logrus Foils.

All that's known for sure about that is that the keyholes in the gate look
right to hold swords and foils respectively.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What about how they work independantly?"

Jeff-kun OOC Night all!
Autolyca has disconnected.

Each of the Icons grants some degree of power related to the element it is
linked to:  The Bag of Winds controls Air, the Sword of Truth cuts through
anything and reveals lies, the Heart of Fire creates flames and passions,
the Cup of Life brings healing and controls water, and Seed of Hope
controls and sustains plants and brings renewed hope.

They're easiest to use if you first attune yourself to them, which can be
done through prolonged study, or by walking the appropriate Pattern with
them.

And they tend to work best for those with strong minds.

Hiko the Firechilde smiles to herself.  "And I know where to find a Fire
Pattern, too."

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Anything else?"

A lot of the books tend to repeat each other, or tell anecdotes about past
uses of the Icons.  None of them explain how to use them to close the
Gate, they just say it takes all of them, used together, by the Five
Children of the elements, who will come to Amber shortly after a new king
is crowned.

Shaft OOCly . o O (Heheh.... King Shaft....)

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Any cool notes about the Heart?"

The heart has been used on three notable occassions.  During the 500 AY
celebrations, the HP of the Unicorn used the Heart to set off a fireworks
display that lasted for three days without stopping.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "HP = High Priest?"

Yes.

Queen Haruka used it at the battle of Kolvir Pass in 657 AY, immolating
thousands of Cimbri with a single burst of flame.

Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "Yay Mom!"

Tybalt waves little 'Go Harad' flags.

And it's rumored that Gendo used it to help cause Catala to collapse after
the assassination of its king (Queen Sakura's brother) by inflaming the
passions of the Royal family of Catala against each other.

Hiko the Firechilde nods to herself as she reads.  

A particularly corrupt High Priest of the Unicorn was also rumored to have
used it to help him seduce women.

Shaft says, "OOCly good thing shaft doesn't know about this toy......"

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Right... I think a visit back to Ember is in
order."  She writes a quick note detailing what she's going to do and has
it sent to Juri, then activates the 'douze' ring.

The heart is said to work best in amplifying already extant passions--ones
the wielder doesn't feel or that the target doesn't feel are harder to
enhance.

Gabrielle pops into existence in the library. "Hi hiiii!"

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Hi, Gabrielle!  How are you?"

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "AND, I'm back in my room."

Gabrielle says, "Skippy! So, this is Amber?" Gabrielle morphs into about
twenty chibi-Gabby's, who scamper about the room.

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Yep!  This is Amber... well, my room to be
precise."  She looks at the smaller Gabbys with amusement.  "How do you do
that?"

One of the Gabby's jumps on top of your head. "Well, first I access my
Pattern, and backfeed it into my Trump poewrs, then calculate..." The
explanation takes about five minutes, and gets more complex and vague as
it goes on.

Hiko the Firechilde nods and starts to feel her eyes cross.  She
interrupts quickly.  "Er, Gabrielle... can I ask a favor of you?"

Gabrielle says, "Sure!" She recombines into one person. "Whaddya need?"

Gabrielle says, "I make stuff blow up reaaaaallllll good......"

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I don't need stuff blown up.  I was wondering
if you could transport me to the Fire Pattern in Ember.  I need to attune
to this artifact."

Gabrielle giggles. "Of course I can, you big silly."

A sheet of fire appears across one wall of your room. You notice your ring
begin to glow a bit.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Which one?"

Then it peels back into a Trump Gate, showing the Fire Pattern of Ember.
(The one Gabby gave you.)

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "is that the pattern chamber?"

Gabrielle says, "Uh-huh! It's me!" She gigles. "Aren't I PRETTY?"

Hiko the Firechilde blinks.  "You're the Pattern?  I though Corrine said
she was your mother?"

Gabrielle exclaims, "She is!"

Hiko the Firechilde blinks some more.

Hiko the Firechilde decides to process that knowledge later.  "Okay... do
I just walk through the Gate?"

Gabrielle exclaims, "Yep! I'm very user-friendly!"

Hiko the Firechilde walks through the Gate.

You're in the Fire Pattern Chamber.

It's like the ones you've seen, except turned ninety degrees.

You page, "Thought it was 180, John... :)" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Doh!" to you.
Akemi pages, "The Logrus Squid bumped it :)" to you.
You page, ".... Aaaauggggh!" to Akemi.
You page, "(well, as long as it's not DAMAGED....)" to Akemi.

There is a man here in red armor, standing near the doorway.

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Is it the Red Knight?"

He nods to you.  "Greetings, Princess Hiko."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Are you the Red Knight?"

Gabrielle says, "Daddy!" She flashes across the chamber and GLOMPS! "WAI!"

You page, "(and you've read the point where Corrine compacted with the Red
Knight, right? :)" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Yes, I have :)" to you.
Akemi pages, "I had to laugh my ass off when you asked the Green Knight of
Avalon if Juri could compact with him that way :)" to you.
You page, "Yay! ^_^ Still need to get to the Pillow Talk afterwards, but I
wanted to backtrack enough to properly write Corrine's letter to Juri." to
Akemi.
You page, "Hey, like Corrine knew if it would work or not.... :)" to
Akemi.

He nods again.  "Yes, I am known as the Red Knight."  He picks up
Gabrielle and hugs her.  "And this is my daughter."

Hiko the Firechilde smiles.  "I wonder if my child will look like her."

The Red Knight looks thoughtful.  "Your child should have dark hair, like
you and the Green Knight."

Hiko the Firechilde nods.  "I am here on an errand.  May I walk the
Pattern?"

"Most certainly."  He steps out of the way.  "I am just here because I
fear there may be problems during the reconstruction."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Reconstruction?"

He says, "Much of Ember City was levelled in the battle, Lady Hiko.  There
is much damage to be healed."

Hiko the Firechilde says, "I'm sorry... I was responsible for some of
that."

Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "(at least it's better than the LAST time it got
Fido'd...)"

"You fought to save us, Princess.  I do not blame you."

Hiko the Firechilde bows again.  "Thank you."  She waves to Gabrielle and
the Knight.  "See you when I get done."

Hiko the Firechilde puts her foot upon the beginning of the Pattern and
begins to walk.

"You know," Gabriele says idly, now that it's to late, "I don't think a
pregnant person has ever walked a Pattern before."

Hiko the Firechilde sighs.  "Thanks for telling me, Gabrielle."

The Red Knight says, "Her body will insulate the child.  She should be
fine, I believe."

Hiko the Firechilde walks on.

You walk the Pattern. It's a very, very draining experience, and by the
time you reach the middle, you're exhausted.  But you make it without any
trouble.

Hiko the Firechilde gets to the middle of the Pattern, and sighs.  "Send
me back to the Red Knight!"

Swish.  You're back to the Red Knight and Gaby.

Gabrielle claps. "Yay!" She waves a tasteful little 'GO Hiko!' pennant.

Juri says, "OOC I'm gonna need to cut fairly soon, as I'm tired, and it's
late, and I want to finish off COAEG18"
*** Foxtrot goes OOC. ***
Shaft says, "OOCly ah, well, can shaft another day"
Hiko the Firechilde says, "Okay... I can go to the Temple some other
time."
Juri says, "OOC Hopefully, we can do Shaft tomorrow or Monday when you
have it off."
Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "Yay!"

Hiko the Firechilde grins.  "Two patterns under my belt now!"

The Red Knight stares at you for a second, then relaxes and laughs.
"Going to try and walk all five?"

You page, "Heh.  Pity Corrine doesn't know about the Wood Pattern yet --
she's got the other 4... ^_^" to Foxtrot.
You page, "(though by now I think she SUSPECTS... she just doesn't know
where it is yet. :)" to Foxtrot.

Gabrielle says, "Ooooooooooo. I think only Gran'pa has done that."

You page, "Corrine's walked Metal, Water, Air, and Fire patterns.  I think
RK knows this." to Akemi.
In a page-pose to you, Akemi nods.

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Yeah... I'd like to try for all five."

Foxtrot stops prodding inn--- guilty authors and says, "Heh.  I know where
the Wood Pattern is.  Was the first one I walked." (to you)
You page, "Oooooo.  Coool." to Foxtrot.
You page, "(I know, OOC, where Wood is, but Corrine doesn't IC.)" to
Foxtrot.

The Red Knight nods.  "Corrine has walked almost all of them, but yes, I
believe Gabrielle is right in saying that only Fuyutsuki-sama has walked
all five."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What does walking each Pattern symbolize?"

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "I mean... do you gain any inner knowlege in
doing so?"

Gabrielle says, "Well, _I_ gain inner knowledge from YOU." There's a
thundercalp, and a fifty-foot tall Gabrielle face fills the chamber. "I AM
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ!"

The Red Knight smiles knowingly.  "There are things which must be
experienced, not told.  But yes, there are things to be learned.  To walk
all five is to imprint yourself with the five elements, the totality of
the pillars of order.  But there are things beyond and above those pillars
which one can then pass on to."

He pats Gabrielle on the head.  "Dear, don't frighten your cousin."

Hiko the Firechilde steps back, surprised.  "Like what sort of things can
you tell about me?"

The Red Knight says, "When you gaze into the Pattern, the Pattern also
gazes into you.  When you brand yourself with the Pattern, the Pattern
knows what it is branding."

Gabrielle reverts to normal size, and begins spewing facts; bra size, age,
weight, history of lovers, status of pregnancy, etc.

Shaft says, "oocly ....."
Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "This is Corrine's daughter.  Scared now?"
Shaft says, "OOCly i was scared before, thank you"

Gabrielle says, "Oh, and you posses the Blood of Chaos, making you a union
of the Order/Chaos bloodlines."

Hiko the Firechilde exclaims, "Okay, I get it..."  She hears a certain
name and winces.  "That's ENOUGH!"

Gabrielle says, "Beyond that, I can't tell you a thing." She smiles
innocently.

The Red Knight says, "That's enough, Gabrielle."

He sighs.  "She's a very ebullient child, and sometimes she can get a
little out of hand.  Sorry, Hiko."

Gabrielle giggles for the umpteenth time. "I am all the wonders of
creation."

Hiko the Firechilde smiles faintly.  "Yes, you are.  You are a very nice
Pattern, and a very nice girl."

The Red Knight says, "I would suggest, should you do a tour of the
Patterns, that you finish with the Air Pattern."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Why that one?"

"It is the most difficult to walk, and there are things I believe you will
wish to see there after you have seen the others."

Hiko the Firechilde nods...

"For it is there that the Forbidden Gate stands."

Hiko the Firechilde nods.  "And that's the Gate Annadil wants to open."

He nods.  "The Gate of Revolution.  It requires the combined power of
Amber and Chaos to open the gate.  And the five elements to close it."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "What do you know about how to close the Gate
once it's opened?"

Gabrielle floats serenly in the air, playing with the Battle-Action
Figures Gran'pa gave her. 


Esme Pariseau OOCly breaks down laughing.  Corrine, meanwhile, in another
time-frame, does not know wether to go Awww or facepalm.

Castle Brandenburg floats about nearby.

The Red Knight says, "The Icons must be borne together to the Chamber of
Revolution, and used there to close the Gate.  Which means you could only
shut the gate when Tir'na-nog is actually in the sky--on a clear night
with a full moon."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "But how do you do it?"

"It has never been done, for the gate has never been opened that I know
of.  Each child must bear their own Icon, I know that.  And they must
first attune themselves to it.  But the exact process....only
Fuyutsuki-sama knows if anyone does."

Mercutio pages, "I could always huck one of her Icons into the Abyss for
Demetrius to find and bring to Corrine.... ^_^" to you.
You page, "Prolly wouldn't help... Corrine's tried re-contacting, it
hasn't worked where she is now (Avalon), and in the Abyss, well, the only
likely place she'd be would be in the -Squid-, and the manifestation
activation would cause things to Go BOOM. ^_-;;;" to Mercutio.
Mercutio pages, "Well, see if you can find Julian. He's... like a male
Gabrielle." to you.
You page, "Well, Juri's tried.  Dunno if he's been fully accepting.
ANyway, we'll see." to Mercutio.

Gabrielle says, "Gran'pa knows EVERYTHING."

Hiko the Firechilde smiles.  "Well, this Child is ready... and with that,
I take my leave.  There are some priests I need so see, and maybe I'll
talk to Fuyutsuki-san again."

The Red Knight bows to you.  'Good luck, Lady Hiko."

Hiko the Firechilde bows in return.  "Farewell."  She pulls out her trump
of the Castle Amber courtyard and steps through.

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

Hiko the Firechilde OOCLY says,  "Cut here?"

Juri says, "OOc Cut here."

Esme Pariseau OOCly Yay!

Tybalt says, "Woo hoo."

Tybalt wonders what other PC's he can con into walking the Fire Pattern.

Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "And bed now, TAS tomorrow, and should be online
around 9ish or so."

Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "(yet more Utena.  Yay!)"

Shaft asks, "erh?"

Esme Pariseau says, "(At TAS (Terrapin Anime Society))"

Esme Pariseau says, "And Kare Kano!"

Esme Pariseau OOCly says, "But anyway, night. *wave*"

Hiko the Firechilde says, "Night, Phil."

Hiko the Firechilde asks, "Con?"

Tybalt says, "Night Phil."


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 ------------