Ishmael says, "Juri's paused, so one sec."

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Right.  Where were we?  Oh yes.  Juri
bleeding to death, Corrine guilting, and they're still in the squid."

You page, "is it me, or were there -no- easy ways out of this entire
situation? *wry look*" to Akemi.

Ishmael pokes Alan.

Juri of Avalon says, "Back."

Corrine of Amber OOCly nods.

Ishmael says, "Right. You were in the squid with Roderick. Juri is
bleeding to death and has just pushed a trump at Corrine."

Ishmael exclaims, "Lights, camera, action!"

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

Corrine of Amber looks at the trumps, collecting them up and finding the
one that Juri's described, that of a white-haired woman in a kimono.  She
looks up with worry, trying to use her Trump Senses to determine if it's
safe for them to use Trumps where they are (given they're still in the
squid).

Akemi pages, "Some situations get ugly, yes." to you.

Juri of Avalon bleeds and tries to keep as tight a grip as possible (not
very) on Corrine's hand, wanting to keep her calm and focused.

You page, "Safe to use Trumps here, or still risk of Corrine going 'boom'
if she tries?" to Akemi and Mike.

Akemi pages, "Although keeping Hummingbird sheathed would have kept you
from shooting Juri.  But would have meant risk of having to watch Juri die
if she screwed up." to you.

Mike pages, "It should be safe, if somewhat difficult." to you and Akemi.

Corrine of Amber pauses at something, and nods.  *q* "right... I should be
able to Trump now... I hope.  Help me with this, Roderick..."  She murmurs
a quick prayer to the four Heraldric beasts of the Pattern, before
attempting to force open the connection, using all her brainpower
(admittedly not much) to try and break through.

Akemi pages, "You have more brain power than two of the five Children,
though!  :)" to you.

Mike pages, "The connection is tricky, but you faintly open a connection.
Once it does open, it snaps open with a fair amount of force. You can see
the woman on the card staring at you in utter shock." to you.

You page, "[Corrine's eyes widen.  "... Pyricorn be praised!  Are you Tess
of Avalon?  I'm Corrine of Amber, Juri's hurt, Pull Us through,
QUICKLY!"]" to Mike.

You page, "... That scares me, John. :)" to Akemi.

Mike pages, "You feel her mind reach out, grab your brain, and riffle
through it like a deck of cards." to you.

You page, "[Corrine, given her past experiences of the day, doesn't even
bloody BOTHER resisting at this point.]" to Mike.

Juri of Avalon SWEARS.
Juri of Avalon says, "Sorry, guys, but the new computer seems determined
to make this Not Easy.  -.-"
Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Ahhh."

You page, "[Corrine waits.]" to Mike.

Corrine of Amber is in a trump contact, still holding onto Juri and
Roderick.

Mike pages, "She extends a hand." to you.

Corrine of Amber gets up, extending a hand to the person on the other side
of the contact, making SURE Juri is being held by Roderick.  "We're
LEAVING, people...."

Juri of Avalon clings to Roderick's hand.

There's a brief blur, and then you find yourselves in a laboratory
somewhere. Tess is looking at the three of you with a somewhat sour
expression.

Corrine of Amber lets go of Juri's hand, and looks at Tess, her expression
almost pleading.  "Please, help Juri, -quickly-... gunshot wound..."

Juri of Avalon weakly says, "Hello, Tess.  This is Corrine of Amber, and
Roderick of another Amber.  I seem to be hurt quite badly."

"You seem to keep picking these wounds up, Juri," she mumbles. "Put her on
the table over there."

"I'm afraid it's reboot from backups time again. Do you want a
painkiller?"

Juri of Avalon says, "No one would be happier than me if I could fight a
duel without ending up with wounds that won't stop bleeding.  And, yes,
painkillers would be lovely."

Tess unceremoniously jabs a needle into Juri's side as Roderick eases her
onto the table.

Corrine of Amber watches the entire scene with concern, and will probably
need to be dragged out of the room, but will go if it's done to her...  Of
course, Corrine doesn't look to be in too hot shape herself, nor Roderick,
but there's -priorities- here, man....

Tess then drags over some equipment, and starts placing something that
looks like a pair of iron jaws over Juri's wound.

Corrine of Amber . o O (Juri said to trust Tess.  this is tess.  I will
trust tess.  That doesn't stop me from panicking, though...) 

Juri's face suddenly relaxes into an expression of utter, utter bliss.
"Whoah."

Corrine of Amber looks at Roderick, then at Tess and Juri again.

"I see you somehow acquired Hummingbird," Tess says absently.

Corrine of Amber blinks at that, and then nods, swallowing.  "... yes.
at the cave of worlds.  Darako... at least, I think it was Darako, it
could easily have not been, gave it to me..."

"It may have been. Or not. That place is hard to fathom." Tess continues
punching buttons.

You page, "Are we to assume that Hummingbird got left behind in the squid?
After all, Corrine -did- throw the damned thing away from her after
shooting Juri, and she didn't go back to pick it up..." to Akemi and Mike.

Juri of Avalon grins happily.  "Tess, did you get these painkillers from
Dante?"

Mike pages, "Then yes, it got left behind." to you and Akemi.

"They're my own invention, dear."

Corrine of Amber blinks, and curses a bit in a Darako-ish fashion.  "..
and DAMMIT, I left it behind in that damn -squid-.... and I don't know
wether I should be more upset or relieved!"

Juri of Avalon asks, "Wow.  Oh, wow.  Look at all the colours.  I didn't
know that colour even _existed_.  What's it called?"

Corrine of Amber clenches her fists several times, looking like she'd
-love- to punch something right now, but is managing to restrain herself
enough.  After all, this isn't her homeland, and now is NOT the time.

"You should be a bit of both, given the nature of the blade."

Juri's side is bathed in Pattern energy. Parts of it seem to ripple and
vanish, eposing muscle and bone, then reappear.

Corrine of Amber shudders, and leans back against a wall, trying to let
some of the tension and adrenalin flush out from her body.  ".... i could
hear it my mind... urging me to kill... before hand, I'd actually been
-eager- to use it, given how potent it was and how woefully underarmed I
had been... but after.... after..." She shudders again.  ".... it was
urging me to kill -Juri-...."

Corrine of Amber has a look of utter horror and revulsion on her face for
having even comprehended the thought of harming Juri.  Not at the funky
Pattern Energy Stuff.  That'd be actually pretty cool, if she was paying
attention.

"Not surprising. It was made to kill things, and its last owner died at
Juri's hand."

Corrine of Amber asks, "... a vengeance directive, then?"

"Not exactly. It just absorbed some of the very strong emotions my
daughter was likely feeling when she died."

Juri of Avalon stares blissfully into space, totally stoned now, smiling
like a heroin addict on a rush while a few tears leak incongrously out
from her vapid eyes.

Corrine of Amber blinks at Tess.  "... you're Darako and Juri's mother?"

"Yes. No. It's a very long story, and I'm afraid this is a bad time for
it." She switches off the machine and jabs Juri with another needle.

Corrine of Amber says, ".... right.  My apologies, Tess."

Corrine of Amber sighs, and sinks a little bit towards the floor. "... if
you've got someplace for us to wait, Roderick and I can go there, and
leave you to your work..."

Juri of Avalon blinks a few times, sighs, and seems to wilt a little.
"Thank you, Tess," she murmurs.

"No. It's almost done, and it would be unsafe to leave us."

Corrine of Amber says, "... Okay."

Juri of Avalon says, "BRB."
Ishmael pokes Juri.

Roderick looks at stoned Juri with concern, hovering in the way that
people who feel they should be doing something but aren't hover.

Corrine of Amber sinks the rest of the way down to the floor, pulling up
her knees to her chest, and wrapping her arms around them.

Corrine of Amber quietly murmurs a prayer to the Patterns and their
protectors and heralds, barely even audible as she closes her eyes.

Juri of Avalon swears some more.

Tess twitches slightly, then goes over to her desk.

Corrine of Amber is still seated on the floor, but looks up as Tess moves.
She doesn't say anything, though.

Juri of Avalon says, "I think I missed some stuff.  Anything after my
'BRB'."
Not really. Just a bunch of Corrine and Roderick fretting.
Juri of Avalon says, "OOC:  It's good to be loved."

Roderick sits and quietly conjures flowers.

Corrine of Amber manages a slight smile at the conjuration.  Well, if her
expression could be considered a 'smile', considering her current state
she's rather not fully here at the moment...

Tess continues to go through her desk, seemingly ignoring the rest of the
room.

Corrine of Amber lets the doctor-type person do whatever it is she's
doing.  She's not in any state to stop or question her about it, anyway...

Juri of Avalon lies on the table and weakly speaks.  "Tess, Finndo's still
alive.  Or some part of him.  Perhaps a ghost, born from Jigoku's
Pattern."

You page, "Did the figure in Orange/Black armor have 2 arms or 3?  And
what weapons?" to Akemi and Mike.

"Finndo is quite dead," Tess states. "And there have been no Patternghosts
of him."

Akemi pages, "Two arms and a double sword" to you.

She continues to search through her desk, twitching slightly.

Corrine of Amber thinks for a bit, still sitting on the floor.  This takes
a little while.  "... but... Juri... the person in orange/black armor had
two arms.  .... Didn't your Finndo have three?"  She looks over at Tess.
"... you okay?"

Roderick says, "Well, someone named Finndo is out to exterminate your
house."

Juri of Avalon nods to Corrine.  "True.  But... hell.  I don't even know
any more."

Juri of Avalon says, "Too many damn Finndos."

Corrine of Amber says, "... descendant, perhaps..." she continues to
think.  "a... and we... we might have met the 'Finndo with No Name',
too..."

Tess finally takes something out of the desk and turns. "Are you three
going to do something about this Squid?"

Juri of Avalon stands up carefully from the table.  "Hopefully.  We've
been having a noteable lack of success so far.  Does our universe have a
Fire Pattern?  Does the Amber that connects to our universe?"

Roderick says, "*sarcastically* No, we thought we'd get drunk and bitter
with Uncle Corwin while it destroys all of space and time.   We have to
stop it before it wrecks more havoc. "

Corrine of Amber looks up at Tess from the floor.  "Believe me, Tess, we
-will-.  I don't know WHAT, but we will... it's hurt too many, it's
destroyed my Kingdom, and Unicorn and Pyricorn knows what else... but I'm
a bit shocky right now so I'm not exactly the best of planners here...."

"Don't talk back to your mother, Horatio," Tess says absently. "Jigoku is
the fire pattern, Juri."

Corrine of Amber says, "Roderick, not Horatio."

Juri of Avalon blinks.  "Oh.  The squid showed a noted lack of wanting to
eat it when we were there."

Roderick says, "I'm not Horatio, I'm Roderick."

"Maybe it was full. It seems to have moved to the Abyss," Tess says.

Corrine of Amber says, "... the.... Abyss."

"Yes, Dar, the Abyss."

Roderick says, "Can it get back out?  Escaping the Abyss is no easy
matter."

Juri of Avalon winces.  "I hope it didn't give Miki trouble."

Corrine of Amber rests her forehead against her knees.  "... but things
seem to do so with frightening regularity.  and I'm Corrine, not Darako."

Tess fumbles with a sheaf of papers. "I don't know. I'm not as up on
cephalopods of chaos as I should be."

She twitches again. "You'll need a way to get to it, then..."

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

Corrine of Amber OOCly blehs.  Time to bail.  Back soon, hopefully? (hour
or so...)

Juri of Avalon says, "Okay."

Corrine of Amber OOCly waves.

Corrine of Amber OOCly isn't back QUITE yet... still eating dinner.

Roderick says, "and Makoto the Mage Player, who was legendarily insane."

You page, "Oh, -very- amusing pic:
http://www.juri.nu/locket/gapics/game.jpg" to Kima.

Corrine of Amber OOCly can now say that he is Here.

You page, "Oh, some updates to ashes.ember.1.txt" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Cool." to you.

You page, "And how doing? (and oh, my copy of "Shadow Knight" finally
arrived from Amazon.com.  Yaaay.)" to Akemi.

Juri of Avalon gnaws on Phil.

Corrine of Amber OOCly ows, and -said- he was Here.....

Juri of Avalon says, "Yes, but Mike's massively idle.  :)"

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Aahhhh."

Akemi pages, "Cool!" to you.

Mange falls asleep.

Mange wakes up.

Kima pages, "Well, Mike awakes again..." to you and Mike.

Mike pages, "And now this world shall BURN!" to you and Kima.

You page, "He surfaces from the depths..." to Kima and Mike.

Kima pages, "De profundis clamavi!" to you and Mike.

Mike pages, "Anyway, lemme eat dinner, then we can carry on." to you and
Kima.

You page, "Neg probs." to Kima and Mike.

Juri of Avalon gnaws on Mike.

Juri of Avalon gnaws on Mike.

Corrine of Amber OOCly hands Alan some worchestershire sauce to go with
that Mike.

Juri of Avalon gnaws on Mike again.

Mange falls asleep.

Mange wakes up.

Juri of Avalon pokes Mike.

Juri of Avalon says, "Christ, if I'd known Mike was going to be gone this
long, I would've watched Buffy and Angel instead of taping them."

Ishmael says, "Right, sorry, fell asleep."

Ishmael says, "Ready to continue."

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "okay."

Juri of Avalon says, "NP.  I was about to myself; I've had a long day.
Expect you've had the same."

Ishmael says, "Ive got a bad cold, actually. Took the day off."

Juri of Avalon says, "Well, if you don't feel well, you should sleep and
get better."

Juri of Avalon says, "I want to play, but not if it interferes with you
getting well.  :)"

Corrine of Amber OOCly snrks.

Ishmael says, "Anyhow, recall where you left off? I just got done
sleeping."

Ishmael is now drinking tea.

Juri of Avalon says, "Phil has the logs.  I think Tess had just said we'd
need some way to get to Chaos."

Ishmael says, "(These are in fact the only two modes of Mike's existance)"

Corrine of Amber OOCly says, "Yup.  And Tess was being twitchy for some
reason.  Corrine was still sitting on the floor, Roderick had flowers,
Juri'd just gotten off the operating table."

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

Tess says, "You'll need a way to enter the Abyss after it, then."

Juri of Avalon weakly walks over to Corrine, sits down next to her, and
puts an arm around her.

Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  Did Dierdre go back to Amber after the end of
the crisis?"
Not immediately.
Juri of Avalon asks, "OOC:  So, she might still be around?"
OOC: Yup.

Corrine of Amber looks up from where she's still sitting.  "... Juri's
native, so her Pattern should work here... Roderick and I are not."  She
purses her lips.  "I've still got my shadow-shifting ring from one of our
compatriots... do you still have yours, Juri?"

Corrine of Amber trembles a bit at Juri's touch, and then tentatively
leans against Juri's side.

Corrine of Amber still looks like she could use some healing, y'know.
That arm wound on the left, and Unicorn only knows what else....

Juri of Avalon gingerly embraces Corrine.  "Don't let it eat at you," she
says softly.  "Please."

Juri of Avalon asks Tess, "Is Dierdre still in Avalon?"

Juri of Avalon takes off her Shadow-walking ring and offers it to
Roderick.

Corrine of Amber murmurs to Juri.  "...trying not to... 'f y'r okay... you
-are- okay?"

"No," Tess says. She beams vaguely. "It's nice that you and Darako are
getting along so well these days. Why did you want to see Dierdre?"

Juri of Avalon says, "A little sore.  Better than my worst, worst than my
best.  And I thought she might know some way to enter and leave the Abyss,
given her experiences."

"Oh, I can help you with that," Tess says.

Corrine of Amber looks at Juri with concern.  "Right, well... better than
horrid..." She hehs a bit.

Corrine of Amber leans close, and murmurs into Juri's ear.

You page, "[Corrine] .... Juri?  Is Tess always like this?  Twitchy and
not quite 'here'?" to Kima.

Kima pages, "No.  It would be best if we concluded our business here as
quickly as possible, then left her to herself; I'll explain later." to
you.

You page, "[Corrine] ... Right. *nod*" to Kima.

Roderick says, "Oh, entering the Abyss is easy."

Juri of Avalon perks up.  "That's good.  What have you got?"

Roderick says, "It's the getting out which is hard."

Corrine of Amber says, "Though, for -some- reason some folks and items
keep managing it..."

She tosses Juri a trump and a sheaf of papers. "Go to the Thirsty Dog;
it's the inn in the trump. Sit at the black table, wearing a silver rose.
Wait."

Juri of Avalon gives Roderick the world's best 'I know' look.

Corrine of Amber rolls her eyes, a little more of her humor returning.

Roderick says, "Although I hear some crazy people use Logrus tendrils to
go bungee Jumping in the Abyss."

Corrine of Amber says, "..."

"Thank you.  I'm going to see if I can recruit some more help."  Juri
rises.  "Take care of yourself, Tess."

Corrine of Amber gets up, slowly.  "Thank you, Tess."

Tess coughs. "I wouldn't leave this room, Juri."

Juri of Avalon blinks.  "Err... why?"  She looks around.  "Isn't this just
part of your laboratory in your tower?"

Roderick asks, "Do you think it'll make her wounds reopen if she moves too
much?"

"We're in the middle of a crisis at the moment, and your presence will
raise suspicions that I would rather not have raised."

Juri of Avalon frowns.  "Would it be the assassination of a visiting
member of Amber's family?"

Corrine of Amber purses her lips, and then nods.  "Right." She considers,
and hands Juri's trumps back to her.  "Got a safe haven for ourselves
right at the moment in that pack o' yours?"

"Something like that. I'd rather not have people thinking of you as a
suspect."

Juri of Avalon looks at the objects Tess gave her.  "I think this 'Thirsty
Dog' is the next destination.  Roderick, can you conjure me a silver
rose?"

Roderick smiles.  "Of course, my lady."  He pulls one out of your ear and
hands it to you.

Juri of Avalon nods.  "I see.  If you can, give my affection to the rest
of the family."

Tess glances at Corrine, the hustles over and starts applying salve to the
arm wound. "Darako, you need to stop getting injured like this..."

Juri of Avalon accepts it.  "Much thanks."  She glances to Corrine and
Roderick.  "Shall we?"

Corrine of Amber hehs a bit, and accepts the treatement.  "It's been one
of those months, Tess.  I'm trying to cut down."

Mike pages, "Your wounds are closing, btw." to you.

Corrine of Amber lets out a shuddering breath, and a relieved smile
crosses her lips.  *q* "... thank you, Tess."

Tess finishes, then turns away, twitching violently. "Leave nOw, pleASe."

Corrine of Amber nods, and moves over to Juri QUICK.

Corrine of Amber takes hands with Juri and Roderick, since Juri's got the
Trump.

Juri of Avalon grabs Roderick and Corrine and trumps out with them.

Corrine of Amber looks back over her shoulder in reflex after they step
through, and the trump connection closes.  "... right.  okay.  that was
odd." She takes a deep breath, and sizes up the locale.

You appear in a filthy inn, obviously in a waterfront. You can see ice
floes out the window, and hear seabirds in the air. A black table sits,
empty, in one corner of the otherwise crowded inn.

Juri of Avalon puts the silver rose at her breast, walks over to the black
table, and sits down.

Roderick says, "Hmm, reminds me of Bloody Pippin's back home."

Roderick says, "Except for lacking the large hole in the wall."

Roderick sits down next to Juri and looks for something resembling a bar
maid.

Corrine of Amber hehs a bit, and sits next to Juri, on the opposite side
of Roderick.

Corrine of Amber says, "It occurs to me that I'm starving.  Then again, I
haven't had a meal since... when?  Hell, my timesense is all but
Fubared..." She sighs.

Juri of Avalon murmurs, "Nothing better than a quick visit back home", and
looks depressed.

Corrine of Amber reaches over, and squeezes Juri's hand gently.  "Hey,
look at this way.  You don't have Rose and Ishmael traipsing over your
Kingdom while you're gone."

Corrine of Amber smiles a bit.

Corrine of Amber says, "Not that they're -bad- sorts, I'm just curious as
to what my daughter might be learning from them."

Juri of Avalon laughs softly, then sobers.  "She isn't normally like
that," she says, somewhat defensively.  "Well, all right, yes, she is, but
she's not _really_ like that, and..."  She sighs.

The barmaid comes over, wearing a heavily stained white blouse, only
barely tied shut in front, with a brown vest over most of it, and a
knee-length brown skirt, also stained.  She has long curly black hair and
bright green eyes and a golden hoop earring on each ear.  "Whaddaya want
today?"

Roderick asks, "Do you have any ale?"

Roderick says, "Of course we have ale!"  She rolls her eyes at him, then
turns to Juri and Corrine.  "And for you two?"
Roderick says, "OOC Doh, I screwed up :)"

"Of course we have ale!"  She rolls her eyes at him, then turns to Juri
and Corrine.  "And for you two?"

Juri of Avalon says, "Ale."

Corrine of Amber mmmms.  "Perhaps seeing you reappear, and Roderick, and
myself, was a bit over?"  She looks up at the barmaid.  "Ale and steak if
you've got it, Ale if not." 

"Right."  The barmaid swaggers off.

Juri of Avalon shakes her head.  "No.  It wasn't entirely that, although
seeing you no doubt gave her a shock."

Roderick says, "Well, she rather reminded me of my mother."

Corrine of Amber looks at Juri again.  "After all, if Tess was Darako's
and yours mother... though she said yes and no when I asked... Oh..." She
nods.

Corrine of Amber shrugs a bit.

Roderick asks, "Does she have a giant raccoon for a pet?"

Juri of Avalon says, "She has a kind of dog-cat-hedgehog pet named Pongo."

Juri of Avalon says, "Tess was Darako's adoptive mother, although it goes
a little deeper than that.  It's... complicated, as she said."

Corrine of Amber purses her lips, and nods quietly.  "Ah."

Juri of Avalon says, "Dar's death hit her very hard.  Shortly before she
vanished for a time and we all thought her dead, a rift occured between
the two of us, mostly through my own fault."

Juri of Avalon says, "I only found out she wasn't dead after I... killed
Dar.  Things haven't been the same--will never be the same--between us
since."

The barmaid brings you three your ales, pauses and looks at the three of
you assessingly, shrugs, and heads off to serve other people.

Juri of Avalon hangs her head.  "Not that I'd expect it to be any other
way."

Off by one wall, a dart game gets started.

Corrine of Amber looks like she wants to ask more, but not here, and not
if it would be overly prying... her eyes then widen a bit, and then she
nods.  "The... vision of Darako... if that's what it was... said that she
couldn't understand why you didn't trust Tess." She sighs, leans over, and
gives Juri another hug.

Juri of Avalon stiffens a bit, then pats Corrine on the shoulder and sips
her ale.  "It's a long story.  If we ever get through this all and have a
chance to relax, I'll tell it to you."

Roderick sips his ale and looks around thoughtfully.

Juri of Avalon watches the players at the dart game.

Corrine of Amber nods.  "Agreed." She accepts her own ale, and sips,
watching and assesing the clientele of the place without being too obvius
about it.  "... so many things to talk about, so little time..." She
chuckles a bit, halfheartedly.  "... aint' that the way..."

Juri of Avalon says, "Tempus fugit.  Tam brevi tempis.  Etcetera
etcetera."  Then she swigs back half her ale in one impressive gulp.

The players look like sailors, probably around twenty or so years old.
One of them, who is short and fat, is very good at darts, while the other
two stink, and are becoming increasingly frustrated.

Corrine of Amber quirks an eyebrow at Juri, and politely golf claps at
her, a slight smile on her lips.

Roderick laughs.  "Well, we all have plenty of time to seize, certainly."

Juri of Avalon says, "o/~ Tiiiime / Is on my side / Yes it is..."

A tall guy in silver and black enters, a bunch of thugs following him.

Roderick turns and looks at the man.  . o O (Uncle Corwin's colors)

Corrine of Amber glances over at Juri and Roderick, and the black table
and the silver rose Juri's currently wearing.

Juri of Avalon waits, and finishes her ale.

Corrine of Amber . o O (I am calm, I am composed, I am exactly where I'm
supposed to be, no -really-....)

Juri of Avalon . o O (Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow
meow meow)

Roderick . o O (This ale really is lousy.)

Mercutio teleports into the room.
Mercutio has arrived.

The man in silver and black walks up to the table.

In a page-pose to you, Sie_Kensou noogies. "What's up?  Belly of the
Beast? o.o

Corrine of Amber looks up at the man, sizing him up.

You page, "[Classified by Orders Of The Game.]" to Sie_Kensou.
Sie_Kensou pages, "WHICH game? The one Droo's about to enter? o.o" to you.

Mike pages, "Looks fairly competent." to you.

Juri of Avalon calmly waits, fingers steepled over her empty tankard.

Demetrius says, "Good evening, ladies and gentleman."

Juri of Avalon says, "Good evening to you, sir."

Demetrius says, "I am Demetrius." He pulls up a chair. "Are you here for
the ride?"

You page, "Nope, I don't believe so..." to Sie_Kensou.

Roderick says, "OOC That extremely sucked."

Sie_Kensou pages, "Oh, different Game." to you.

Ishmael is oocly lagging, pardon if responces are slow.

Sie_Kensou pages, "Which one, then? @.@" to you.

Julia Arisugawa. asks, "I'm Julia Arisugawa.  You can take us into the
Abyss?"

Demetrius blinks. "Yes, I can. Though I'm a bit surprised by the request."

Corrine of Amber nods to the man.  "Ursala d'Embrelle."

Demetrius says, "Mostly, I take people places VIA the Abyss."

Rod Malipatan says, "I am Rod Malipatan."

Julia Arisugawa says, "We are looking for a squid.  A very large squid."

You page, "David's trying to extract from me what game I'm in... what do I
reply? *wry look*" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Tell him you don't know what he's talking about." to you.
You page, "Don't know what you're talking about, then." to Sie_Kensou.

Demetrius smiles at the names. "Of course you all are. A squid, you say?"
He taps his teeth thoughtfully.

Julia Arisugawa says, "A squid, I said."

Rod Malipatan says, "A very big squid."

Ursala d'Embrelle chuckles a bit.  "Indeed.  About a mile long, or so."

Demetrius hrrms. "There are rumors floating around about something the
Abyss Monks are hunting for in the dpeths."

You page, "Watch as Demetrius decides the three of us are totally wacko
and inexperienced. :)" to Kima.

Julia Arisugawa quirks an elegant eyebrow.  "Abyss monks?"

Rod Malipatan asks, "The logrus jumpers, you mean?"

Demetrius waves a dismissive hand. "A cult. Rather fanatical. They know a
lot about the Abyss, though."

Julia Arisugawa nods.  "Your means of transportation?"

Ursala d'Embrelle just sips a bit more of her ale.

Demetrius says, "I own an Abyssal Submarine."

Julia Arisugawa nods, apparently unsurprised.  "Price of passage?"

Demetrius says, "It's been paid."

Julia Arisugawa nods again, once again apparently unsurprised.  "You
depart?"

Rod Malipatan blinks.

Demetrius says, "Whenever you are ready." He takes out a Trump.

"Now."  Julia rises and casts a few gold coins on the table to pay for the
drinks.

Ursala d'Embrelle gets up as well, draining her ale.

Rod Malipatan rises, looking thoughtful.  He plays with the ring on his
right finger.

Demetrius waves over a group of men wearing a unified color scheme. "I'm
sorry, I haven't formally introduced myself. My card." He hands Julia a
small slip of paper.

Julia Arisugawa examines the card.

Ursala d'Embrelle makes sure her own rings are on, and glances at the
card.

Mike pages, "The card says 'The Abyss Pirates: We Plunder so you don't
have to.'" to you and Kima.

You page, "*snrk!*  Cute. :)" to Kima and Mike.

"Is it truly a merry thing," Julia asks drolly, "to be a pirate king?"

Demetrius says, "Oh, it is, it is, a glorious thing." He smiles.

That done, you trump to the bridge of the sub.

Julia Arisugawa nods, apparently unsurprised.

Ursala d'Embrelle goes along with, naturally.

Demetrius says, "OOC: For those wondering, the bridge looks liek the
Starship Enterprise meets the H.M.S Pinafore."

Rod Malipatan turns, assessing the control set up and looks approving.  

Demetrius nods at his second officer. "Mr. Christopher. These are our
clients." He intorduces everybody.

Ursala d'Embrelle OOCly says, "Coolness."

Ursala d'Embrelle nods to the nice folks.  "A pleasure to meet you."

Julia Arisugawa nods a greeting.  "Pleasure."

Various responses along the lines of "Arr, har har."

Rod Malipatan says, "You have a fascinating vessel here."

Demetrius takes a seat in the Big Chair. "I try. You're very kind."

Ursala d'Embrelle looks for a safe place for their little group to sit, if
there is any.

Demetrius asks, "Status of the engines, Mr. Christopher?"

Julia Arisugawa asks, "How far do your services extend?  You will help us
to plunder the squid?"

"Just fine, sir. Ready for the jump."

Demetrius nods. "I usually charge 25% of the plunder. In your case, seeing
as how your passage was ludicrously high, I'll reduce it to ten."

Demetrius says, "Excellent. Make our course for...." he names a location
deep within the Abyssal Depths.

Rod Malipatan whispers to Juri.

Demetrius says, "We're going hunting."

"Aye aye, sir."

Ursala d'Embrelle glances at Rod and Juri, curious.

Julia Arisugawa says, "Targets all have Living Trump abilities."

The ship shudders, then zooms through a hole into the Abyss.

Julia Arisugawa says, "Be careful.  They teleport and explode when you
kill them."

Demetrius says, "This ship has a great deal of standoff capability."

Rod Malipatan says, "Apparently releasing hordes of incredibly dangerous
fighting demons."

Julia Arisugawa says, "Squid is made out of an entire Shadow.  Logrus for
tentacles."

Julia Arisugawa says, "Dispellable incredibly dangerous fighting demons."

Rod Malipatan nods.  "Fortunately, or I would likely be dead."

Julia Arisugawa nods.  "Fortunate."

Demetrius smiles. "The Abyss is my home ground, m'lady. I think we'll be
fine."

Ursala d'Embrelle hms, and murmurs something to Juri.

Julia Arisugawa says, "Don't be overconfident."

You page, "[Corrine] Juri?  Do you want Eternity's Rose back?  Trade you
for the broadsword. *slight smile*" to Kima.

Julia Arisugawa exchanges a sheathed broadsword with Corrine for a
sheathed sabre.

Julia Arisugawa says, "OOC:  With 'Ursala', even.  :)"

Ursala d'Embrelle accepts the exchange with a slight smile, and secures
the broadsword about her hip.

Demetrius turns to his men. "Jack, make sure we're to either become
boarders or to repel them. Lucas, I want your fighters launched and
patrolling, standard pattern. Nelson, turn the sensors to maximum gain."

Demetrius presses the button for Yellow Alert.

A chorus of Ayes.

Rod Malipatan begins playing with the ring on his right hand again.

Demetrius says, "We're looking for a giant squid."

Julia Arisugawa leans over and says something quietly to Rod.

A ... crosses the bridge.

Rod Malipatan starts and takes his hand off the ring, taking Juri's hand
instead for a moment, then whispers back to her.

"A giant squid, Capt'n?" ventures Nelson.

Demetrius says, "Aye. It's approximately one mile long, which means we're
only a little smaller."

Ursala d'Embrelle glances at the byplay between Rod and Julia, and smiles
a bit, but remains quiet.

Julia Arisugawa says, "It's slightly larger than New England inside."

Demetrius swivels his chair. "Are we killing, or capturing?"

Rod Malipatan says, "Ideally, we need to capture them, although given we
can't hold them, probably must lead to killing."

Julia Arisugawa says, "We wish to capture the bridge and take control of
the squid."

Ursala d'Embrelle purses her lips, but then gives a curt nod of agreement.

Demetrius hrrms. "Boarding. That's tricky, that is."

Julia Arisugawa says, "OOC:  I try to think up the best way to approach
this situation using the tactical skills I have, which are far superior to
my player's.  :)"

Ursala d'Embrelle says, "Magic or Logrus appear to be the best ways to
attempt it.  Pattern would be fatal.  Trump's debatable, and risky."

Demetrius says, "Our standard procedure is to close and use grapnels."

Rod Malipatan looks thoughtful.  "If we get close enough, I can teleport a
picked squad onto the bridge.  Although it was rather in ruins the last
time.  We need to find the Auxillary bridge."

Ursala d'Embrelle says, "Unless you can manage a pure physical means of
doing so..." She shrugs a bit, and smiles slightly.  "I have no idea of
the full capabilities of your vessel and crew... Ah."

Ursala d'Embrelle OOCly says, "hms, and nods that he should prolly bail
before 12 EST tonite, given the horrendous sleep probs he had last night.
Which would defer any real assault until the next session."

Julia Arisugawa says, "The best way is to find an opening and fly in with
a shuttle."

Demetrius drums his fingers. "The thing about magic, is, that it's risky
in here. This whole place is a giant energy sink."

Demetrius asks, "How volatile is this thing?"

Rod Malipatan says, "Do you have any sort of way to punch a hole in its
side?  We could probably sail this thing into its blood stream."

Demetrius says, "Oh, we can punch a hole all the way through it."

Julia Arisugawa says, "If it is hit with anything Pattern-based, it would
be very bad."

Demetrius snorts. "You're a long way from the Pattern, m'lady."

Ursala d'Embrelle says, "The squid itself is powered by the Logrus...
Pattern use would cause a catastrophic detonation.  I've heard mention
that Logrus itself could be used to gain entry, but that's not my forte."
She gives a wry look.

Demetrius says, "We'll play it by ear. I want a look at this thing before
deciding if I want my men flying at it in our flimsy sloops."

Ishmael winces. "OW."
Ishmael mispages.

Demetrius leans back. "It shouldn't take long; one of our sidelines when
we don't have a contract is artifact-hunting down here. We have good
sensors."

Ursala d'Embrelle nods.

"Sir! Off the port bow! A great off-white squid the size of
Northcumberland!"

Demetrius says, "Onscreen."

You see a huge, immence squid with ropy black tentacles, about a mile
long. As you watch, it casually swats a patrolling fighter.

Demetrius whistles. "I am NOT closing to board with that unwil we weaken
it up."

Demetrius exclaims, "Mr. Gridley!"

"Sir! We're being hailed!"

Ursala d'Embrelle . o O (... Gooooooooood -luck-.)

"Yes sir?"

Demetrius blinks. "We've never been hailed in the Abyss before. Err...
onscreen. And plot a targeting solution for the Main Gun, Mr. Gridley."

Rod Malipatan says, "First time for everything."

A band of coffee-crazed maniacs, three men and two women, appear on the
screen. Also there is someone in orange-and-black demonic armor, and a
blond guy in a poncho and hat, smoking a thin cigar. "Hello?" says one of
the coffee drinkers, twitching slightly and clutching his cup. Four gems
circle his head.

You page, "And that's the whole number of MacFinndos there?" to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Yep." to you.

Demetrius says, "This Captain Demetrius of the Tempest."

You page, "-Including- Findy?  Oh fsck." to Akemi.
Akemi pages, "Yep!  Funny that." to you.

Rod Malipatan frowns slightly, looking at the assembly.

"In th' grand and glorious name of Finndos everywhar, I, Faenor MacFinndo,
doo order ye ta cede tae me!"

Ursala d'Embrelle's eyes widen, and leans over to Julia, murmuring
quickly.

Rod Malipatan whispers to Julia.

You page, "[Corrine] ... dammit, I could have -sworn- I killed Findy!
What the hell?" to Kima.

Julia's eyes cross as she's hit from both sides by whispering.

Demetrius chortles. "I'm afraid I must decline."

Kima pages, "[Juri]  Perhaps it was a trap?" to you and Akemi.

You page, "[Corrine] ... given how she blew... *she nods, and sighs*" to
Kima.

"Do ye? D'ya think tae stand aginst us?" He turns to the guy in the
poncho. "Hey Blondie!" "Yeah, Faenor?" "Give him oor ultimatium!"

Demetrius arches an eyebrow.

The blond guy shrugs. "Surrender now or die, punk."

Demetrius says, "I am afraid, sir, that is not an option. "

Rod Malipatan asks, "How about if you all surrender nicely and give us the
squid?  "

Julia Arisugawa says, "We want Rose and Ishmael's squid back before you
maniacs wreak any more havoc with it."

"Surrender? Us? Are we mice or MacFinndos?! Ye surrender!"

Demetrius says, "Aphanai Mataion, my good sir."

Faenor looks puzzled. "Eh?"

Demetrius smiles. "I see the classics were not part of your education,
Lord MacFinndo."

Demetrius says, "Heave to and prepare to be boarded."

"Hey Blondie, what's th' fool in black babblin'?" "Dunno."

"No-one gabbles furrin' gibberish at the MacFinndos! Fido! Kill them all!"

Ursala d'Embrelle quietly sighs.

The squid's tentacles start reaching for the sub...

Demetrius sighs. "Well, I tried." He cuts communications.

Demetrius says, "Mr. Gridely, you may fire when ready."

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

Ishmael says, "And on that dramatic note, pause."

Demetrius says, "Damn."

Ursala d'Embrelle OOCly says, "Right.  That it for the night, then? *wry
look*"

As Phil has to go soon.

Ursala d'Embrelle OOCly nods.  Righto.  Night then, folks. *wave*  Next
session Thursday or Friday?

Demetrius says, "For those wonder, 'Aphaynai Mataion'-- Surrender is
Futile."

Julia Arisugawa says, "Night, Phil."

Demetrius says, "Thrusday s'good for me."

Rod Malipatan says, "OOC I can hack Thursday."

Julia Arisugawa says, "Thursday also good for me."

Ursala d'Embrelle OOCly says, "Right.  Night, then. *wave*"