Phi's Solo Logs

[Carthrat]

01[00:37] <@Kallen> While continuing his research on Valiance escorts, Phi does discover that the business only popped up relatively recently, a month or two before the 'club scandal' that rocked Valiance City earlier in the month, where many of society's elite were discovered to visit secret underground fetishist clubs, and were forced to resign in shame (or worse, in some cases.) (More)
01[00:42] <@Kallen> The owner, Miledy Blossom, is the subject of some consternation; she apparently has a criminal record from back in her younger days, where she was apparently some sort of drug pusher. It is rumoured that her club is a gateway towards fulfilling darker passions, though nobody Phi sees on the newsboards has any first-hand experience with her business. (More)
01[00:42] <@Kallen> It should be noted that her escort businesses offices are stationed in the nicest part of Valiance City that would have them, and she counts people of many backgrounds amongst her staff.
06[00:45] * Phi bites his lip. This sort of club feels vaguely of the Reine des Glacons - it's the sort of eccentric experimentation without commitment that only a Fae would comprehend to that extent.
[00:46] <Phi> "I'd...better call Ivy about this on the way." Phi notices the time, shuts down his tabs, leaves the PC on standby and starts making his way down to me this K1.
[00:47] <Phi> *meet
01[00:48] <@Kallen> OOC: You're gonna have to wait a bit
01[00:48] <@Kallen> OOC: Actually
01[00:49] <@Kallen> On the way, Phi finds that Ivy's phone is busy! How inconsiderate! But he can leave a message...
[00:53] <Phi> "Yeah, Ivy? Phi. Did your research. Valiance Escorts is exactly what it sounds like on the outside, but it looks like there might be a link between this place opening up and those government fetish scandals from a few months back. Apparently run by a woman called Miledy Blossom - no, that's not a joke - who's got a history as a drug runner."
[00:55] <Phi> "That's about all I can get you. I'm not liking what I see, though. Tell Kyle that the internet can get him all the women he needs for free and that he should stay the hell away from that place if he can. Later."
06[00:55] * Phi hangs up
01[01:03] <@Kallen> It is from there only a short walk from there to the address Cammie have him. It's a single-story house with a brown picket fence, and an overgrown lawn that isn't flattering in the least. The front windows have curtains drawn, and the porch light flickers on at his approach. A path to the back is obvious, but the whole place is quiet.
06[01:05] * Phi steps carefully, trying not to look conspicuous but at the same time not look like he's sneaking in. He doesn't say a work as he makes his way around to the back door.
01[01:07] <@Kallen> OOC: make a composure+wits check?
[01:07] <Phi> roll 4d10
06[01:07] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 4d10 and gets 29."12 [4d10=8, 9, 2, 10]
[01:08] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[01:08] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 9."12 [1d10=9]
01[01:16] <@Kallen> Phi can just dimly hear some stifled chuckles from behind the closed back door, as well as make out some shadowy figures lurking behind a tree in the centre of a rather small back yard. There's certainly more people here than would be obvious, all carefully concealing themselves. (More)
01[01:17] <@Kallen> Before he takes this in, the back door opens, and he recognizes the youth who exits as the one who was with Cammie. "You! You asshole!" he snarls, eyes bloodshot and crazed with rage. Phi dimly makes out that he's wearing a pair of brass knuckles, and that's all the warning he gets before the kid rushes towards him!
[01:20] <Phi> "Oh, for the-" Phi can hardly leave now, but he doubts the guy's going to just get out of the way with a quick apology. He raises his fists, hoping that this guy will be angry enough for him to duck and weave around because he's not very good at taking hits
01[01:21] <@Kallen> OOC: roll a d10, add your init mod?
01[01:21] <@Kallen> roll 1d10+5
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10+5 and gets 8."12 [1d10=3]
[01:21] <Phi> roll 1d10+4
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10+4 and gets 9."12 [1d10=5]
01[01:23] <@Kallen> OOC: You go first! Command!
06[01:24] * Phi tries to end the fight quickly with a jab to the jaw, assuming that he's too busy being mad to think about defending himself
[01:28] <Phi> roll 4d10
06[01:28] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 4d10 and gets 29."12 [4d10=6, 10, 9, 4]
[01:28] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[01:29] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 2."12 [1d10=2]
01[01:34] <@Kallen> The jab strikes his opponent in the face, prompting a swift crack! He manages an incoherent yell and strikes back with a two-fisted blow!
01[01:34] <@Kallen> OOC: What's your defense?
[01:34] <Phi> (3.)
01[01:34] <@Kallen> roll 4d10
06[01:34] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 4d10 and gets 21."12 [4d10=9, 4, 3, 5]
01[01:35] <@Kallen> roll 1d10
06[01:35] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10 and gets 10."12 [1d10=10]
01[01:35] <@Kallen> roll 1d10
06[01:35] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10 and gets 2."12 [1d10=2]
01[01:36] <@Kallen> He strikes back with a blow to Phi's abdomen, fueled by a rage that has him sacrificing any pretense at defending himself! OOC: You take 2 bashing damage here, he took one
[01:39] <Phi> "Kh...don't see why you're so mad at me, pal. It's not my fault that you weren't good enough for Cammie, is it?" Phi makes an effort to wear away at his opponent's morale - he doesn't have much chance of winning a plain fistfight at this rate.
01[01:43] <@Kallen> The guy doesn't seem to be here to listen to reason, that much is clear; Phi would swear he's hooked up on something pretty harsh that's making him spaz out like a lunatic.
06[01:44] * Phi grits his teeth, looking around for anything that he could possibly use as a weapon.
01[01:53] <@Kallen> There's some lawn equipment lying by the side of the house, including a rake and a shovel- not used much, by the looks of things!
06[01:54] * Phi likes the look of that rake, and makes a dash for it hoping to get there before Angry Boyfriend!
01[01:54] <@Kallen> roll 4d10
06[01:54] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 4d10 and gets 24."12 [4d10=7, 2, 8, 7]
01[01:55] <@Kallen> Phi is shaken by the the blow Angry Boyfriend gives him, and brass knuckles dig into his chest, bruising him further! OOC: You take another 3 bashing
06[01:58] * Phi winces, using some of the glamour he'd been rewarded earlier to boost his endurance before this beating gets deadly
[01:59] <Phi> (OOC: Activating Elemental ability, Health is now 8 [5 bashing])
06[02:00] * Phi grabs the rake on the ground, wielding it as a makeshift weapon and getting ready to sweep at AB as soon as he comes into range. "I get the feeling this'll hurt a little more than a knuckle duster, don't you?"
01[02:01] <@Kallen> OOC: Make a weaponry+strength check?
01[02:01] <@Kallen> OOC: Oh, the rake adds 2
[02:02] <Phi> roll 4d10
06[02:02] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 4d10 and gets 23."12 [4d10=3, 7, 10, 3]
[02:02] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[02:02] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 10."12 [1d10=10]
[02:02] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[02:02] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 10."12 [1d10=10]
[02:02] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[02:02] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 6."12 [1d10=6]
01[02:05] <@Kallen> The rake takes out the guy's feet from under him, and he drops to the soft lawn in a heap! Pressing the rake into his chest keeps him down there like the rabid dog he is, and he squirms, futilely!
[02:08] <Phi> "You just about done? Last I checked, the two of us were on the same side. Is K1 in there?"
01[02:14] <@Kallen> The writhing body on the ground doesn't seem too interesting in saying much of anything, let alone answering questions. "I sure am," replies a calm voice; a kid- no, maybe someone just old enough to be called a man- walks out the door, wearing black pants, a somewhat snappy-looking black jacket, and a sharp shirt. Copious golden accessories hang around his neck and off his fingers-
01[02:15] <@Kallen> -and one hand is stuck lazily in his pocket. "What's it to you?" A few other kids emerge from the shadows around the lawn, each of them with hands in their pockets and seeming as though they're spoiling for a rumble.
[02:17] <Phi> "Calm down. I'm not here to start a fight. Your guy jumped me, for the record." Phi holds onto the rake, just in case.
[02:19] <Phi> "Anyway. Cammie told you about me, right? I'm the guy who wanted to help you guys out with your war effort. I've got a few skills I figure could be handy if you need to, well, take out some competition."
01[02:20] <@Kallen> "That was just a test. You went in on his territory," he replies, with a shrug. He kicks the kid in the side of the head, which puts a stop to his squirming. "He's gotta get out, or take you down. We don't bow down to nobody, y'hear? Coincidentally, you gotta take a dog out to be a dog." He snorts. "Yeah, see, that's what we don't get." (More)
01[02:21] <@Kallen> "You want to help us, eh? You know why we're taking on the other crowds?"
[02:21] <Phi> "Didn't figure you needed a reason. Take out the other crowds, the city's all yours, right?"
06[02:22] * Phi places the rake back at AB's chest. "You heard the guy. Take your pick."
01[02:24] <@Kallen> "This ain't about the city," he replies, scoffing. The boyfriend- perhaps an ex-boyfriend- is left lying in the dirt, comatose. "What is your deal here?"
[02:27] <Phi> "You want an honest answer? Cammie won me over. Seemed smart, ambitious, eager, better than the rest of the junk that run these streets. I'm just siding with the winners, really."
01[02:28] <@Kallen> OOC: Make a manipulation+persuasion check?
[02:28] <Phi> roll 5d10
06[02:28] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 5d10 and gets 18."12 [5d10=1, 1, 6, 4, 6]
01[02:31] <@Kallen> "Yeah. Sure. Let's think about this," he replies, withdrawing a hand from his pocket and producing a switchblade. "So you show up on our turf with three other weirdos- in the site of the last trial, too- and do some fast talking that has them letting you get by. So I already know you're with someone else. Cammie's a bit dim, but I ain't."
06[02:34] * Phi sighs. "What can I say? She looked nice, but she was a little slow in the head. Begging to get toyed with, y'know?" (In other news, use Airtouched to boost Speed/Init, get ready to RUN LIKE SHIT)
01[02:39] <@Kallen> "Toyed with. Yeah, she's kinda like that. But what can I say?" he replies, raising the knife in what looks like a practiced stance. The similar click of switchblades can be easiler heard around the rest of the lawn. "I guess we're gonna have to take our time figuring you out." OOC: Make.. an init roll?
01[02:39] <@Kallen> roll 1d10+5
06[02:39] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10+5 and gets 14."12 [1d10=9]
01[02:39] <@Kallen> roll 1d10+2
06[02:39] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10+2 and gets 12."12 [1d10=10]
[02:39] <Phi> roll 1d10+6
06[02:39] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10+6 and gets 9."12 [1d10=3]
01[02:43] <@Kallen> K1, the apparent leader, lunges at Phi with his knife! Glinting steel flashes out, and cuts straight down towards his arm!
01[02:45] <@Kallen> roll 3d10
06[02:45] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 3d10 and gets 11."12 [3d10=5, 3, 3]
01[02:45] <@Kallen> But Phi is able to get just out of the way in time! Three more of his thugs rush in on all sides, preparing to finish the job!
01[02:46] <@Kallen> roll 2d10
01[02:46] <@Kallen> roll 2d10
01[02:46] <@Kallen> roll 2d10
06[02:46] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 14."12 [2d10=7, 7]
06[02:46] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 10."12 [2d10=1, 9]
06[02:46] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 9."12 [2d10=4, 5]
01[02:47] <@Kallen> Some of them sink in deep, causing gaping wounds that send him stumbling to the ground! Phi's body begins to spasm from shock, and thinking straight becomes difficult, if not impossible as his vision fades to black...
01[02:47] <@Kallen> OOC: You're unconscious
01[02:47] <@Kallen> OOC: I'll pick you up some other time
01[02:49] <@Kallen> OOC: You're not unconscious!
01[02:50] <@Kallen> One of them sinks into his arm, tearing out a gaping wound, but despite the terrible pain, Phi is somehow able to keep himself steady!
06[02:52] * Phi runs on instinct alone, looking for a hole in the group that he can try to break through and dash away. Maybe his arm is wrecked, but his legs are still fine if nothing else!
01[02:52] <@Kallen> OOC: Make an athletics+strength check?
[02:54] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[02:54] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 3."12 [2d10=1, 2]
[02:54] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[02:54] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 16."12 [2d10=10, 6]
[02:54] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[02:54] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 6."12 [1d10=6]
01[02:56] <@Kallen> Phi is able to scramble up one of the fences, though someone is hot on his heels- while he's at the top, another knife flashes towards the back of his leg!
01[02:56] <@Kallen> roll 4d10
06[02:56] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 4d10 and gets 13."12 [4d10=2, 2, 6, 3]
01[02:56] <@Kallen> But it thuds into the side of the fence, and he's able to pull himself over and lurch away!
[02:58] <Phi> "...Geez. What is it with me and sharp objects?" Phi grabs at his arm while he makes his escape, twisting and turning through the streets in case he's being followed.

01[00:06] <Kallen> Ok!
01[00:06] <Kallen> Are you gonna do anything before evening?
[00:07] <Phi> First thing. Look up some articles on the gang fighting, see if I can find the headquarters of another gang. This info is only useful tonight, so I can't waste time with middlemen.
01[00:08] <Kallen> Make an intelligence+investigation roll?
[00:09] <Phi> roll 3d10
06[00:09] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 3d10 and gets 5."12 [3d10=2, 1, 2]
01[00:10] <Kallen> Phi is unable to learn anything particularly helpful about the gangs, although he does come across some encouraging-sounding police reports that discuss recent arrests! The local commissioner appears to believe the violence will soon grind to a halt, and Valiance City will finally be safe at night again.
06[00:11] * Phi wonders how hard it would be to take care of the good old commissioner...with the cops distracted by a death in their ranks, the gangs would have plenty of time to wreak havoc.
[00:12] <Phi> "Gah, that'll be hard. Unless I can find a way to get the man on his own, anyway..."
01[00:13] <Kallen> The commissioner, Peter Sauer, is, as far as Phi knows, a regular old human being who is unlikely to survive through most normally mortal injuries.
06[00:14] * Phi takes a moment to ponder, then tries to work his way into the police databases to find the commissioner's home address.
[00:14] <Phi> "Shouldn't be too hard to break in when he's on the job and set up an unfortunate accident involving a rewired light switch..."
01[00:15] <Kallen> OOC: That is pretty much an all-day job, I would say
[00:17] <Phi> OK. Does he have a family?
[00:18] <Phi> Knowing whether anyone will walk in on me while I wait him out in his own home is an important advantage.
01[00:19] <Kallen> OOC: The attempting to break into police databases, I mean, whether you succeed or not
01[00:19] <Kallen> OOC: But he's married, yes
[00:20] <Phi> (OOC: As in I will be able to do nothing else after this?)
[00:20] <Phi> (Or it's outright too long?)
01[00:21] <Kallen> (OOC: More like time passes, during which things happen)
01[00:21] <Kallen> (OOC: You jmay not see them, but things areh appening, that's all)
06[00:23] * Phi sighs, gives up on getting hold of the gangs, and just tries to get the Comissioner's details.
01[00:26] <Kallen> OOC: Make an intelligence+computers roll?
[00:27] <Phi> roll 8d10
06[00:27] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 8d10 and gets 53."12 [8d10=7, 10, 2, 6, 4, 8, 6, 10]
[00:27] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[00:27] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 6."12 [2d10=2, 4]
01[00:27] <Kallen> roll 6d10
06[00:27] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 6d10 and gets 39."12 [6d10=8, 9, 4, 7, 8, 3]
01[00:30] <Kallen> Phi is struggling to get together the proper identification that will let him access the police intranet remotely; as his programs run their course, he realises someone's managed to discover his illegal and unusual connection! He could cut it off immediately and reboot, hopefully evading pursuit, or keep trying, knowing that failing will likely mean discovery. If the police contact his ISP- (more)
01[00:31] <Kallen> -it would put not only himself in danger, but likey his backers at the Autumn Court, as well...
06[00:40] * Phi starts making to put his glasses back on. "T-This is too much. I've got to back out now, or if I screw up-"
06[00:41] * Phi suddenly jerks his hand away, yelling at himself. "Screw that! I'm freaking Stormbringer! No way some donut-gorging, coffee-guzzling old man is going to get away from me!"
06[00:42] * Phi throws his glasses against the wall, shattering them and returning to his hacking full-force!
[00:45] <Phi> roll 11d10
06[00:45] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 11d10 and gets 64."12 [11d10=8, 9, 9, 7, 5, 7, 3, 2, 4, 3, 7]
01[00:46] <Kallen> roll 6d10
06[00:46] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 6d10 and gets 32."12 [6d10=8, 6, 9, 2, 2, 5]
01[00:47] <Kallen> Phi manages to evade the sysadmin's powers and, in return, shut him out his own system! It's sure that the police know they've been hacked, but the databases are in his hands, for just a moment.
06[00:50] * Phi takes two measures while he's here - he looks up the commissioner's address to know where to go, and he also looks up the name of a high-ranking plain-clothes officer to use as a disguise - but not one so high up that Sauer will know him personally.
01[00:52] <Kallen> As commissioner, it is highly likely that Sauer has in fact met most of the senior staff on occasion, at various police functions. There are numerous inspectors and sergeants he could use; Valiance City is not truly understaffed.
06[00:53] * Phi looks up an inspector around his age, so as to play it safe.
[00:53] <Phi> Unless it's inviable for someone to reach the post at his age, at least. Worst comes to worst, he'll dress up in a large coat and do his best to look older.
01[00:55] <Kallen> Haha! Inspectors! At Phi's age!
06[00:57] * Phi sets his sights a little lower for the sake of believability, but finds a member of the upper staff that he could claim to be working for.
01[00:57] <Kallen> Sergeant Eric Maude should suffice as someone in charge of a lowly constable, such as himself.
06[00:58] * Phi finishes by getting Sauer's home address.
01[01:02] <Kallen> It's in the nice part of town, he discovers; the police comissioner is, apparently paid quite well...
06[01:03] * Phi doesn't want to take any more risks, and disconnects as soon as he's got everything he needs.
01[01:04] <Kallen> It's not impossible that the sysadmin will be able to trace him, if he's sufficiently dedicated. He certainly will be should policemen start dying...
06[01:06] * Phi doesn't honestly care. Right now, he's in the middle of a duty worth far more than getting a few members of the Autumn Court arrested. If all goes well, he'll be there watching as the freaks who took his life away get what they deserve. Maybe there won't be much left for him after that, but it's not like he had much beforehand...
[01:06] <Phi> "...Hm."
06[01:08] * Phi glances over to the pair of glasses, lying broken in a forgotten corner. A layer of dust has already formed over them, but he disregards them as he makes his way out the house. He picks up a knife from the kitchen, hiding it in a pocket as he makes his way out the building...
06[01:16] * Phi takes a trip to the library. He won't look like a very convincing cop without a gun.
01[01:17] <Kallen> When Phi reaches the library, he stops in his tracks before entering the basement- there seems to be an argument taking place below. Unfortunately, it's taking place in French.
06[01:19] * Phi bites his lip. French has a nasty habit of reminding him of her - she would spew it whenever she was near him, saying it was the language of love. She took pleasure in knowing that it was incomprehensible to him.
06[01:19] * Phi sighs, then knocks carefully on the door to the basement.
01[01:20] <Kallen> "Come in!" yells Handspan, irritably.
06[01:21] * Phi steps in. "Evening. Sorry 'bout this on short notice, but any chance you could supply me with a firearm? Makin' some big progress on the Alan-ay Arduk-may situation."
01[01:26] <Kallen> Gareth- the Winterwatch doctor- is present, leaning heavily against a wall and oozing shadow. "A gun? A gun! Of course you can have a gun!" snaps Handspan, angrily. "You're in the Winterwatch! What kind, eh, sonny? Luger? Colt? Winchester? Mossberg? Kalashnikov?"
[01:28] <Phi> "Police standard issue, please. Going undercover."
01[01:29] <Kallen> "Ah, we actually have those. Do you want bullets?"
01[01:29] <Kallen> "Maybe an instruction manual?"
01[01:29] <Kallen> "How about a silencer? Folding stock?"
01[01:29] <Kallen> "Laser pointer?"
[01:31] <Phi> "Yeah, bullets will help. Silencer, too. Don't think I need anything else."
[01:31] <Phi> "The hell would I need an instruction manual? It's a gun. Step 1, point at a guy you don't like, Step 2, pull trigger."
01[01:32] <Kallen> "Well we don't have those! Do you think we're the Summer Court, boy?" rages Handspan, slamming his rickety palms on the desk. "You only get the basics!"
06[01:32] * Phi mutters beneath his breath. "Why the hell did you ask, then...?"
01[01:32] <Kallen> He shuffles away towards a large chest in the back of the room, which he opens up and reaches into- leans into, until it seems his body if halfway inside. Eventually he returns, bearing some kind of shiny black firearm...
[01:32] <Phi> "Alright, fine. Sorry. I'll take whatever you can offer me. Thanks."
01[01:33] <Kallen> "Don't point it at people you don't plan on shooting. It may explode," replies Handspan, ominously.
[01:34] <Phi> "Uh. Duly noted."
06[01:34] * Phi takes the weapon, lodging it in a trouser pocket.
[01:34] <Phi> "Well, thanks. Hopefully, by the time I'm done tonight, I'll have given people a good reason to fight in the streets."
01[01:37] <Kallen> "You can't be serious!" The voice comes from behind him- Gareth, the darkling doctor, who appears absolutely livid. "What do you plan on doing with that?"
[01:38] <Phi> "Oh, I'm just gonna use it to help out at the local hospital. There are a buncha kids crying cause there was a car accident or something and what the hell do you THINK I'm gonna do with a gun?"
01[01:39] <Kallen> "Ah, I see, you're intent on being literal. Then, on who do you intend to use that?"
[01:39] <Phi> "An old man who's set to die soon enough anyway. No big deal."
06[01:42] * Phi makes for the door. Next stop, the commissioner's place.
01[01:44] <Kallen> "No, I will not let you, even if it brings the Mountain King's wrath upon me," replies Gareth, standing in the doorway. "Murder cannot be justified."
06[01:46] * Phi sighs. "Doc, I don't have time to argue this with you. Some of us didn't swear the Hippocratic Oath and have enough common sense to figure that sacrificing the few for the sake of the many is just plain logic."
[01:46] <Phi> (Just to be safe, run Witch's Intuition on him.)
01[01:46] <Kallen> (Make yon roll?)
[01:46] <Phi> (What's his Composure?)
01[01:46] <Kallen> "You plan to create war, and you say you are acting for the good of many?"
01[01:46] <Kallen> (3)
[01:47] <Phi> @roll 2d10
[01:47] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[01:47] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 17."12 [2d10=8, 9]
01[01:47] <Kallen> OOC: What's that give you?
[01:47] <Phi> (Target's fear.)
01[01:48] <Kallen> Phi discerns that Gareth is, on a larger level, fearful that all the freeholds on Valiance City will be ruined by the insane actions of the Mountain King; more personally, he's somewhat scared of getting shot.
[01:50] <Phi> "Look, lemme put it this way, doc. Things are gonna come to a brink eventually, and the big man's gonna be bellowing about it and calling for war until someone goes out and does what he says. Think of it as putting the city out of its misery by bringing things to a head sooner rather than later. ...Besides that, the sooner it ends, the sooner we can all walk around at night without worrying
[01:50] <Phi> about getting a round of lead in the skull, right?"
01[01:52] <Kallen> "That man knows nothing!" yells Gareth, furiously. "You aren't from the Winter Court! You don't know- he's an ambitious fool! If I wasn't sworn to this blasted watch, I would-" Gareth looks aside. "Do you even understand what this kind of violence will do to people?"
06[01:53] * Phi points his newfound gun straight at Gareth's face. "No, but I have a good idea what this sort of violence could do to you if you don't budge."
01[01:54] <Kallen> OOC: Make a presence+intimidate check?
[01:55] <Phi> roll 4d10
06[01:55] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 4d10 and gets 28."12 [4d10=5, 8, 8, 7]
01[01:56] <Kallen> roll 5d10
06[01:56] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 5d10 and gets 28."12 [5d10=4, 8, 3, 4, 9]
01[01:57] <Kallen> "Surely you remember something similar yourself, once?" pleads Gareth, still stepping aside from the door-
01[01:57] <Kallen> OOC: What's your composure?
[01:58] <Phi> (1. >_>)
01[01:59] <Kallen> roll 6d10
06[01:59] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 6d10 and gets 41."12 [6d10=8, 6, 5, 9, 4, 9]
01[02:01] <Kallen> Phi does. He remembers escaping the Hedge. He remembers discovering 'he' had never left. He remembers the promise of his old life back- an escape from torture, a return to happiness- torn away from him, only to be replaced by this ongoing charade, this... farce! Despair and sorrow threaten to overwhelm him as he recalls just how his life was destroyed, destroyed by people who thought nothing-
01[02:01] <Kallen> -of it...
[02:01] <Phi> "Dammit...dammit, stop talking..."
06[02:02] * Phi falls to his knees, gritting his teeth.
[02:02] <Phi> "Tell me, doc! What the fuck am I supposed to do?! Sit here and be scared shitless for the rest of my life?!"
01[02:03] <Kallen> "And? Will inflicting that same fear on others make it better?" he replies, sternly. "Would you kill a man, and drive those close to him to this despair, as well? Would you do that? Would you wrap all of Valiance City in a fear that will never leave, all to satisfy that man's bloated ego?"
[02:05] <Phi> "If there's one thing the Hedge taught me, it's that everything we used to know was wrong. Those morals, those ethics, those beliefs we were meant to all build ourselves from? None of it means anything. We only learned that by meeting people who were so far separate from our morals that they tore us away from what we believed."
[02:06] <Phi> "Doc, I have no idea what you went through, but this is all I have. I want payback, and I swear I'm gonna have it or I'm gonna die trying. I can't play by the old rules anymore. Someone took my rulebook and tore it into a million pieces. Hell, I barely remember what game we're playing anymore."
01[02:07] <Kallen> "We weren't wrong! It's them who was wrong!" he replies, desperately. "Don't you get it? If you think like them, you'll become like them!"
06[02:08] * Phi puts the gun to his own head. "This is everything to me, doc. Everything. So what's it gonna be? Stand aside and let me do what I want, or spend the rest of your days sitting in fear, worrying about an enemy that could be anywhere, anytime?"
[02:09] <Phi> "If you're not gonna give me my chance to fight, I've got nothing left to live for. Ever since that day, I've wanted to see that icy bitch get what she deserves. You can't say you don't wanna see that, can you? You're human, doc. You can't bring yourself to forgive them."
01[02:09] <Kallen> "I don't forgive them, but... but they changed us. Behaving like this, it.. I'm sure it just makes her laugh..."
[02:10] <Phi> "Well, I'd like to see her laugh when one of us cuts her down with that weapon Marduk's been holding onto. I'm sure she'll find it really fucking funny."
[02:11] <Phi> "And what do you think she finds funnier? The rats biting at her toes, or the rats running away from her with their tails between their legs?"
[02:11] <Phi> "Have some dignity, doc! They changed you! They took away part of you, and you're never gonna get it back! Are you saying you're fine with that?!"
[02:12] <Phi> "Are you saying you wouldn't give something - anything - to even the odds? Even if it meant breaking the rules? Getting your hands a little dirty? This isn't about the rest of the world, doc. This is about US."
01[02:14] <Kallen> "That is just how they think," he replies, clenching his fists. "It is all about them. The feelings and forms of others are nothing. And you call that dignity? If you go out there, and you kill this man, you are exactly like them. Thoughtless. Heartless. And when they come after you for your crime, will you even understand why?" (More)
01[02:16] <Kallen> "And even- even if I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this would work- and it will not, I am sure, and you will have killed for nothing- I would not be a part of it. My revenge will be to beat them, to stay human."
[02:19] <Phi> "Your revenge isn't welcome here. If the Mountain King tells the freehold to fight, we fight. Whatever the cost, whatever the death count, whatever the sacrifice. If the Mountain King promises us a chance for payback - well, all the more reason to fight."
[02:19] <Phi> "You wanna be human? Then get the hell out of here. Go live in the real world like everyone else. You don't need us here at the Winterwatch, do you? You're just an average human being, nothing strange about you at all, right?!"
[02:21] <Phi> "You can't, can you? Because you know it, and you don't want to admit it. You're right, doc. They changed me. They twisted me. They took the Phillip Fawkes the world knew and mangled him until he was something different entirely. But don't you try and get on a high-horse by telling me that they didn't do the same to you, too."
[02:24] <Phi> "We're lost, doc. The world already thinks we're dead. Here's a question for you, if you're gonna be so high and mighty - killing a Fetch. Is it murder if the Fetch doesn't know he's a fake? He's got ideals, hopes, dreams, all of the things that we think make us human. And Charlie - you've gotta know Charlie, the old guy with the puppets - he kills these Fetches off without a second thought.
[02:24] <Phi> Where are you drawing the line? What makes it right to kill innocents for the sake of comfort, but wrong to kill them for the sake of progress?"
01[02:28] <Kallen> "I came here," he replies, starting to fume- "To help people! Not to hurt them! Progress? You will become just another murderer, another cruel being in the shadows that justifies itself with trifles! You aren't doing this because it's 'right'- you're doing it because you want to hurt something! Because *you're* hurting! You talk about being changed- but did you ever even try to heal?" (More)
01[02:30] <Kallen> "Don't blame others to justify your actions! You aren't absolved of responsibility. What fetches are- if they deserve it, if they don't- that is something to debate. Mine certainly did. But tell me this- does Charlie involve innocents in his work? As you are doing? You are using murder as a tool, without even a pretense of justice for those slain!"
[02:31] <Phi> "Heal?! The fuck are you talking about with 'healing'?! This isn't some stab wound or some brain misfire, doc - this is being hurt so hard, so deeply, that it literally changes everything about you! You tell me, doc! I've got a terminal case of Changelingitis! What's your professional diagnosis!? When do I get to go back to being Phillip Fawkes, that geeky, awkward, but well meaning teenager
[02:31] <Phi> from god-knows-how-long ago?!"
01[02:32] <Kallen> "When you let yourself!"
[02:34] <Phi> "Tell that to the Glamour, doc!? Phillip Fawkes didn't even know what it was, but Phi can't live without it! Try and tell me they're the same person! Just fucking try! And justice?! You act like justice is something that we can honestly reach for! Look outside, doc! Valiance City is burning, one way or the other!"
01[02:35] <Kallen> "And you think that makes it alright for you to add to the fire? Because everyone else is doing it, that makes something acceptable? Because nobody can tell you no?"
[02:36] <Phi> "Tell me, doc. If you can't put out a fire with water, what's the other solution?"
01[02:37] <Kallen> "I will not play games of analogy with you," he hisses.
[02:37] <Phi> "You're saying that because you know the answer, aren't you?"
06[02:37] * Phi chuckles.
[02:38] <Phi> "You start another fire. Steal away the oxygen. The difference is that the second fire is controlled, and you're prepared for it."
01[02:38] <Kallen> "If I believed you even tried to do something about this before resorting to such measures..."
[02:39] <Phi> "Maybe Phillip Fawkes would have tried. It's all he knew how to do, after all - run away, play nice and do what he could to keep people getting angry at him."
[02:40] <Phi> "But I'm not Phillip Fawkes, doc. I'm Phi. I'm Stormbringer. I'm a walking freak show. I'm a dozen different things, but Phillip Fawkes is the one thing I am not."
03[02:40] * Retrieving #nomansland modes...
01[02:41] <Kallen> "Don't add a murderer to those things. Please. It's for your own sake as well," replies Gareth, shakily.
[02:42] <Phi> "My sake? You think I even care anymore, doc? Where are we going after this? Heaven? Hell? Will they even take us?"
01[02:43] <Kallen> "I don't know about heaven. But I know, surely, that we make our own hells."
[02:44] <Phi> "And your hell is a life spent cowering away in fear, jumping at every shadow, bursting into tears every time you look in the mirror, and dying a broken man always wishing for the life you COULD have led, SHOULD have led. I say that's a thousand times worse than getting your hands a little dirty in order to make something REAL happen."
[02:45] <Phi> "'I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.' I figure you with your shiny degree should be educated enough to know where that came from."
06[02:47] * Phi is strangely calm now, the gun still primed at his own temple.
01[02:48] <Kallen> "You need to kill? To feel real?" he asks, slowly. "That is what my fetch thought. He would keep people ill for months longer than necessary. Then he would perform autopsies on them, alive. He always felt empty, you see. So he wanted to fill himself up with their parts. Are you like him?"
[02:50] <Phi> "Don't compare me to one of those things. I'm not killing these people out of pleasure. I'm doing it because sacrifices have to be made, and they're gonna be made by someone. The King isn't going to end the war just because one lousy member of the Autumn Court couldn't do his job. You're doing nothing here but giving yourself another death to feel guilty about, doc."
[02:51] <Phi> "You wanna sit and think about THAT for a while? You think you can talk every single member of this freehold out of following orders? Because if you do, then I applaud you for your commitment, but you're crazier than I am."
01[02:52] <Kallen> "Your prison is of your own making," he replies, slowly. "You trap yourself in a maze, where the only ways out are to follow it to a grisly end- or realise that it isn't there. I wonder what the others of the Winterwatch- the ones who know why they joined it in the first place- would think."
06[02:54] * Phi sighs.
[02:56] <Phi> "What do I have to say to convince you, doc? I've been talking cold, hard logic from the very start. Of all people, you should be the one to get logic. If you had to let one deadly virus spread through one small region to stop a deadlier, more contagious virus from spreading across the country, why the hell would you choose the latter? Sanctity of life is only a point to consider when
[02:56] <Phi> survival is an option. These people are dying, one way or the other. We can either let their deaths be pointless, or try and build something from them. What's it gonna be, doc?"
01[02:58] <Kallen> "I know that the Mountain King does not think logically. I know he was nothing but ambitious. And I know that the Fair Folk cannot be stopped," he replies. "I believe these wars could be stopped by us, too- if the Winterwatch bothered to worry itself about the affairs of mere mortals. I thought it was good, that at least they never made things worse. Until now."
[02:58] <Phi> "...This conversation is going nowhere, is it?"
06[02:58] * Phi steels his grip on the gun.
[02:58] <Phi> "Last chance, doc. Move, or I shoot."
01[02:58] <Kallen> "It would seem that way. What would the old you think of you now?"
[03:00] <Phi> "The old me? I'm the guy Phillip Fawkes always wanted to be. Confident, outgoing, and not cowering over every little social nit-pick out of fear. That guy would applaud me for having the balls to do what other people would be too scared to even consider."
01[03:02] <Kallen> Gareth is no longer really inside the doorway, but leaning tiredly against the frame. "You really are Lost," he replies, quietly.
06[03:03] * Phi stands up. "So are you moving?"
01[03:07] <Kallen> He sighs. "I don't need to be here anymore," he remarks, and Phi hears, distantly, tires pulling up outside the library. "The police will take care of you and Handspan. I'd wished I could've convinced you, but..."
06[03:09] * Phi widens his eyes, looking to Handspan in shock as he backs off. "Handyman, tell me you've got an exit stocked away somewhere."
01[03:11] <Kallen> "Hah! Do you think those dullards can catch us?" snorts Handspan, rolling his eyes and gesturing to a mirror by the side. "No," replies Gareth. "But... without this place, what do you have, Handspan?" he remarks.
[03:12] <Phi> "You've achieved nothing, doc. If we've got nothing to come back to when all's said and done, so what? A dead Fey is worth it."
[03:14] <Phi> "But on that note...you have a lighter on you, Handyman? There's some stuff here we probably don't want the cops to see."
01[03:15] <Kallen> Handspan walks towards the mirror, and touches it, briefly- it ripples, replaced by an image of twisting briars. "Do you think I will let it burn?" remarks Gareth, even as a Phi can hear the door being shoved open upstairs!
06[03:16] * Phi fires once at Gareth. "I think it'll be pretty hard with one of these in you, traitor...!"
01[03:16] <Kallen> OOC: Make a dex+firearms check?
[03:16] <Phi> roll 3d10
06[03:16] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 3d10 and gets 22."12 [3d10=10, 6, 6]
[03:16] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[03:16] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 2."12 [1d10=2]
01[03:17] <Kallen> The bullet slams into Gareth- where, Phi's not too sure. He raises a hand to the wound for a moment, blinks, and then collapses like a puppet with cut strings. "Move! Now!"

01[01:07] <Kallen> <-->
01[01:18] <Kallen> Phi and Handspan plunge through the mirror, leaving only Gareth's- he's not sure he killed the man- body behind him. The gateway leads to the Hedge- as they all do- a crisscrossed maze of throsn. Luminescent flowers litter their path, glowing blue on one side, red on the other.
01[01:18] <Kallen> There is a rustle- heavy feet, stomping, just on the other side of the thicket. There is a path tracked between the brush; one could take or, or plunge into the nethers of the world.
[01:19] <Phi> "Y'know, I could've saved us a hell of a lotta trouble if I'd just shot him earlier." Phi is muttering to himself, looking towards the sound of footsteps.
[01:21] <Phi> "Any idea what that thing over there is? I'd figure you scouted out this part of the Hedge yourself."
01[01:21] <Kallen> "Not a good thing, shooting him!" hisses Handspan. "No point, with the police on the way. No point. Lucky are you that he quit the Watch beforehand, or it would've broken your protection, too." Handspan seems as confused as Phi. "It was not like this the last time I came here." He sniffs the air. (More)
01[01:22] <Kallen> Phi's feet feel wet. Glancing down, he sees that apparently, he has misplaced his shoes. Blood seeps up from the ground, trickling about his toes.
[01:23] <Phi> "You make it sound like he didn't deserve i-" Phi sees the scarlet puddles forming around his feet. "...Uh. I'm getting the feeling we should move on. Out the Hedge. Now."
01[01:24] <Kallen> "It's not so easy," hisses Handspan. "It's different. The gateways are misplaced. I don't understand it- bah, the police!" He begins to trudge forward; there doesn't seem to be blood around HIS feet, Phi notes.
06[01:26] * Phi groans. "Great, even the floor is trying to guilt-trip me." He follows onward, keeping his handgun primed just in case.
01[01:29] <Kallen> Phi leaves bloody footprints behind him as backs Handspan up. As he proceeds, iron gates slam down in front of the two, simply descending from the sky! The road ahead is blocked off by the doors of a jail, tinged with yellow stripes.
[01:30] <Phi> "Well, that's touching." Phi examines the door more intently, looking for anything resembling a lock on it.
01[01:32] <Kallen> There doesn't seem to be anything of the kind on the structure. It looms impassively before Phi. "We may just have to wait it out," grumbles Handspan; the brush to either side is not so thick that one couldn't push through it, but he seems reticient to do so. "Could be best to return through the same gateway later, when there's less attention."
[01:34] <Phi> "Heading back to the place where there'll probably be a couple of armed cops waiting around, never mind any dissident friends the doc managed to pull together? Sure, that sounds like a great idea."
01[01:36] <Kallen> "Easy, lad. We can see through, and pick our time. The library's a public place, after all," notes Handspan. "It can't stay closed forever. I know what I'll be doing. But if you want to take the alternative-" He gestures to the surrounding Hedge- "Be my guest."
06[01:37] * Phi looks back at the gun in his hand. It suddenly feels a lot smaller. "Well, the King will have my head if I let you go back alone and get shot, so I guess I can wait a while."
01[01:40] <Kallen> The bullets of a gun consist of mostly lead and gunpowder. How useful is it, really, against the denizens of the hedge? Handspan shrugs. "Common sense, m'boy. Now.. now. You certainly do seem serious about all this. What have you been up to?"
[01:41] <Phi> "Well. I figure that really, these gangs are already set to start tearing each other apart. They're just a little nervous about the whole thing 'cause of that long arm looming over their heads."
01[01:42] <Kallen> "They're right to be," mutters Handspan. "The police weren't this efficient last winter. Not that there was nearly as much crime, but they've picked up their game plenty."
06[01:43] * Phi grips the gun a little tighter. "But let's see that our friend Commissioner Sauer is...killed tragically by a high-profile criminal. The sort who'd just robbed, say, a local weapon store. That'd be enough to tip the balance, right? Blood in the streets, kids killing each other left right and centre. Then we get to kill some Fae."
[01:43] <Phi> "Damn, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think my Fetch might have actually given me a free out on this one."
01[01:47] <Kallen> "I see. It shows nobody is safe," replies Handspan, slowly. "A hit, eh. Ol' Charlie rubbing off on ya?"
[01:48] <Phi> "The old man had the right idea. He just didn't take it far enough, is all."
[01:49] <Phi> "Killing Fetches? Yeah, nice and all, but it doesn't achieve anything. It just puts us back to the status quo, let's us try to get back what we had. But it never works, does it?"
01[01:49] <Kallen> "Be nice if it did. Despite his looks, Charlie's about as young as you when it comes to our world," replies Handspan. "It's normal to want to go back for a while. He'll grow out of it. They always do."
[01:49] <Phi> "But if we point our attention elsewhere, there's a chance we could go and make a difference. Bring the balance of power back to us, take the fight back to Arcadia. Sound about right?"
[01:50] <Phi> "Yeah, maybe a few people would have to die and all, but you've gotta know that crap about eggs and omelettes. And it means we're saving people from going through the shit we went through...and I can't say death would be much worse than that, can you?"
01[01:51] <Kallen> "I wouldn't be thinking of taking the fight to Arcadia, m'boy," cautions Handspan, worriedly. "No way to fight in a place where your senses aren't what they seem. It's to us we'd need to draw the Fae if we're to be having a sporting chance."
[01:53] <Phi> "About that...I have a lead that might be worth following when it comes to that. A strange little company by the name of Valiance Escorts..."
01[01:53] <Kallen> "
01[01:53] <Kallen> "A company by the who?"
[01:55] <Phi> "Apparently, they're a group of nice young women who look after you and make you feel special...and it looks like their services are a little on the fetishy side. Put a lot of politicians outta business. Sounds familiar. To me, at least."
01[01:59] <Kallen> "I think the Fae are drawn to a bit more than a few tarts, m'boy," replies Handspan, chortling. "I daresay they'll be going after the young miss soon enough, if anyone. Poor girl..."
[02:00] <Phi> "Eh, Ivy? She was pretty, s'pose, but didn't really have a brain to go with it. I mean, she acted all dark and sinister, but then when she gets a chance to pay back the Fae she walks out?"
01[02:05] <Kallen> "Not everyone wants revenge, lad, or the Summer Court would be the only court," replies Handspan. Somewhere, a wolf howls.
[02:06] <Phi> "...Oh, crap. Handyman, where's Marduk right now?"
01[02:07] <Kallen> "He's with the Mountain King," replies Handspan, worriedly. "They're working on something, themselves. 'fraid I'm not too sure what."
[02:08] <Phi> "Then, uh. What was that noise?"
06[02:09] * Phi holds his gun out in the direction of the howl. "We might need to start judging our exit at this rate."
01[02:10] <Kallen> "The Jager's hounds," mutters Handspan. A glowing blue light floats over the metal door; is it one of those fairies?- and flits about, making little noises of wonder and amazement.
[02:11] <Phi> "Hey, if it isn't the little sapphire. Mind opening up for an old friend?"
01[02:14] <Kallen> "Ah! It's you!" it squeals. "Are you gonna fight? There can only be one! I wanna bet on you! Red's bet on the old man, and yellow's bet on the girl, but I believe in you the most!"
[02:16] <Phi> "Fight...? Wait, old man? Girl? I think you skipped half your conversation before you started."
01[02:16] <Kallen> "Oh! We liked you all," it replies, giggling. "So we decided. Which one of you-"
01[02:16] <Kallen> roll 6d10
06[02:16] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 6d10 and gets 37."12 [6d10=1, 6, 6, 10, 10, 4]
01[02:16] <Kallen> roll 2d10
06[02:16] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 18."12 [2d10=9, 9]
01[02:17] <Kallen> Handspan snaps his wrist! An iron knife flies through the air and impales the blue fairy to the gate. It twitches for a moment, before it falls apart in two equal pieces, devoid of any blue glow.
[02:18] <Phi> "...Damn. Not bad." Phi nods, impressed.
[02:18] <Phi> "Could've at least let her finish her sentence, though. I wanted to know what I was gonna win."
01[02:19] <Kallen> "It's better not to listen to the fae, unless you absolutely have to," notes Handspan, retrieving his knife. "And it's better to not fight other Lost. Even if you're on opposite sides," he notes, with a snort.
[02:22] <Phi> "I figured I could at least get her to open the door, but whatever. Think you can do that again to a Jagerhound?"
01[02:23] <Kallen> "Hounds roam in packs," replies Handspan, grimacing. "They'll be onto us, this is their section of the hedge, and you stink of blood. If they're to set upon us, here's the best spot to make a stand. It's either that, or back we go. Damn this infernal wall!"
[02:25] <Phi> "Yeah, that sounds bad. Lemme try something."
06[02:26] * Phi attempts to tap into the Hedge, seeing if he can find any alternate way around the gate - or at least, another gateway nearby.
[02:26] <Phi> roll 5d10
06[02:26] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 5d10 and gets 30."12 [5d10=7, 3, 6, 5, 9]
01[02:34] <Kallen> Phi intuits that there are many paths in this area of the Hedge, but recently, they were rearranged, and some are blocked while others are open. They are not so far, however; the thicket seperating them is small, and one is likely to find a new path by blundering away for a small while.
[02:35] <Phi> "...OK, Handyman. If we step away from the path a liiiiiittle bit, we should get around the gate. Unless you'd rather go for the hounds, anyway."
[02:42] <Phi> "Sound like a plan?"
01[02:43] <Kallen> "I've no stomach to take them all on," admits Handspan, though he glances longingly back at the mirror. "Well, then, let's be off."
01[00:02] <Kallen> <-->
[00:04] <Phi> "Now, if I'm right, it oughta be somewhere around here..." Phi watches the passing hedge, looking for anything that remotely resembles an opening.
01[00:05] <Kallen> If there are other gateways around here, they aren't quite visible to Phi's senses, and Handspan curses. "It's the police! Jailmongers on the outside make it harder for *us* to break out. We might have to go a distance," he grouses. OOC: make a composure+wits check?
01[00:05] <Kallen> OOC: with a -2 mod lolclarity
03[00:07] * Hatbot (~Hatbot@70.123.153.22) has joined #nomansland
01[00:08] <Kallen> But there's one! Phi spots a proper gateway down one of the winding paths; he can practically see the traffic lights that indicate reality just beyond that corner of scrub...
[00:08] <Phi> "There we go! Come on, old man, it's over here!" Phi grabs Handspan and pulls him along with him!
01[00:10] <Kallen> "
01[00:10] <Kallen> "What? What is?" he asks, allowing himself to be dragged along! Phi rounds the bend, the lights are only a little further onwards, and-
01[00:11] <Kallen> -they're not lights at all, he realises, as he draws alongside a particularly tall tree. A yellow fairy and a red fairy flitter above a green apple, laughing shrilly.
[00:12] <Phi> "...Shit. Shit, shit, shit!" Phi curses as loud as his voice will let him, slamming a foot into the tree.
01[00:12] <Kallen> A pair of eyes open, embedded within the trunk.
[00:14] <Phi> "Oh, great. Nowadays I can't even kick anything without it giving me a death glare."
01[00:17] <Kallen> Handspan takes one look at the eyes of the tree and grabs Phi by the arm. "Run, lad! We need to find another way!" The red fairy seems to shudder. "Coward!" The yellow giggles. "Why not stay and chat?"
[00:20] <Phi> "Alright, fine, but let's figure out the right way first. Lemme try this again." Phi pricks his finger on a Hedge bush, focusing his mind...
01[00:23] <Kallen> OOC: make a dex+athletics check?
01[00:23] <Kallen> OOC: Wait, never mind
[00:24] <Phi> "Wait. This is...Handyman, I think I know this part of the hedge." Phi looks around for the mill, to act as a memorable landmark of his last visit here...
01[00:27] <Kallen> "Well, I don't!" he replies, hissing. "Which way?" Something seems to be snaking around Phi's foot. He can't see the mill, but if he strains his ears, that might, conceivably, be the sound of rushing water?
[00:29] <Phi> "Over there...I think." Phi is slightly distracted by the sensation over his foot. He tries to lift it as he looks down, wondering if there are snakes in this part of the Hedge.
01[00:29] <Kallen> It seems that roots have popped up from the ground and are beginning to coil around his right foot. "You think? You need to feel, boy," insists one of the fairies; which isn't clear.
[00:31] <Phi> "Someone's been watching too many martial arts movies...!" Phi tries to yank his foot out from the roots, getting ready to run!
01[00:36] <Kallen> OOC: make a str+aths check?
01[00:41] <Kallen> The roots grapple firmly only his shin, and Phi trips and falls, bashing his head against the ground! "It's dangerous to run in the woods!" insists the other fairy- which was it...
01[00:41] <Kallen> roll 4d10
06[00:41] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 4d10 and gets 17."12 [4d10=8, 4, 4, 1]
01[00:42] <Kallen> Handspan crouches besides Phi, offering him a helping hand! "It'll be like this everywhere," gloats the red fairy. "You wanna get out, right? Then you better listen~"
[00:44] <Phi> "Gah!" Phi grabs at his head while he stands up. "Sure, like a floating lightbulb is gonna be honest with me. You wanna know what happened to your little sapphire friend?"
06[00:44] * Phi starts making his way out, running towards the sound of running water!
01[00:45] <Kallen> roll 6d10
06[00:45] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 6d10 and gets 39."12 [6d10=5, 8, 9, 1, 10, 6]
01[00:45] <Kallen> roll 1d10
06[00:45] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10 and gets 5."12 [1d10=5]
01[00:46] <Kallen> The tree rotates, smashing Handspan with an extended branch! "She'll get better. She always does. But we're always honest! When were we not? We just wanna help..."
[00:47] <Phi> "Yeah, like your friend helped us with a locked door. But go on, name your price so I can laugh at it." Phi goes to help Handspan to his feet!
01[00:49] <Kallen> "We just watch, we don't do it! But we can stop it happening," replies the red fairy. "You wanna be strong, right?"
[00:50] <Phi> "If you're gonna start spouting stuff about that apple up there, I swear to God I will THROW the handyman right at you."
[00:54] <Phi> "I don't need your help anyway. I'm strong enough as it is - I mean, come on, I'm the freaking Stormbringer. You guys caught me off guard, that's all."
01[00:55] <Kallen> "Oh yeah? Then you're perfect," insists the red fairy. "Wanna be King of the Hedge?" OOC: make another str+aths check?
[00:56] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[00:56] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 16."12 [2d10=9, 7]
01[00:56] <Kallen> Phi's able to tear his foot free from the rooted bindings and grabs Handspan's outstretched hand! The tree seems to twist in the wind, threatening to slam into them once again!
[00:57] <Phi> "Wanna be?! Lemme tell you something, lightbulb - I already AM the King of the Hedge!" Phi takes Handspan and starts running towards the river!
01[00:58] <Kallen> OOC: make a resolve+wyrd check?
[01:00] <Phi> roll 4d10
06[01:00] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 4d10 and gets 21."12 [4d10=6, 5, 6, 4]
01[01:05] <Kallen> The shrill laughter of the faeries haunts Phi as he begins to run away. Handspan is limping, Phi notes; the old man can't run as fast as he in the best of times, but now their progress is notably slowed.
[01:07] <Phi> "Come on, old man. Don't let me down now..." Phi keeps carrying Handspan along, grimacing. The King will have his head if he finds out he left Handspan to die in the Hedge, after all.
03[01:07] * Retrieving #nomansland modes...
01[01:08] <Kallen> After some indeterminate time of slogging through the forest, Phi breaks out of some brush to find himself alongside a familiar river. There's even a bushel of Fyrbloats hanging just over his head...
06[01:09] * Phi thinks for a moment, trying to grab a fyrbloat. Handspan could use the boost right about now...
01[01:09] <Kallen> The branch is low-hanging, and Phi easily managed to snag one of the enormous red globes.
01[01:10] <Kallen> *manages
06[01:11] * Phi hands one to Handspan. "Here you go. This oughta make you feel ten years younger..."
06[01:11] * Phi reaches up to take another for himself
01[01:13] <Kallen> Handspan looks at the fruit warily, but does manage to take a tentative bite. When Phi starts munching away, he feels a sudden burning sensation from deep within him! Everything around him seems to slow down... reason is lost, instinct taking it's place... his reflexes are at a razor's edge, and sparks begin to burst from all around him. (More)
[01:13] <Phi> "Damn...daaaaaamn! That's some good stuff!"
01[01:13] <Kallen> He can sense violence, bloodlust. Not far from him. Somewhere down this stream...
06[01:15] * Phi looks towards the feeling of violence. "Who's there!? Take on the King of the Hedge if you think you've got the guts!"
01[01:16] <Kallen> Handspan grabs onto one of the overhanging branches, and pulls himself up into the trees! With his many-jointed limbs and a sudden burst of vigor, he has no problem clambering through the trees like a monkey, and soon vanishes from sight. The violence is ongoing, but the cowards- further down the stream- dare not approach Phi!
[01:17] <Phi> "BRING IT!" Phi charges!
01[01:18] <Kallen> As Phi rushes forward, he sees that mill come into view- evidently, it's been repaired, as it has returned to it's normal state and is merrily pumping out little stormclouds from the chimney once again. Alongside it, a man and a woman appear to be locked in mortal combat! The man wields a samurai sword, covered with blood, whilst the rather attractive-looking blonde-
01[01:19] <Kallen> -fights back with an iron bar!
[01:21] <Phi> "Hey! Swords against untempered steel!? That's cheating!" Phi charges at the man, looking to whack him in the chest!
01[01:21] <Kallen> OOC: yeaaah roll initiative!
01[01:21] <Kallen> OOC: 1d10+your init score
01[01:21] <Kallen> roll 1d20+3
01[01:21] <Kallen> roll 1d20+4
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d20+3 and gets 4."12 [1d20=1]
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d20+4 and gets 21."12 [1d20=17]
01[01:21] <Kallen> OOC: not a d20
01[01:21] <Kallen> roll 1d10+4
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10+4 and gets 5."12 [1d10=1]
01[01:21] <Kallen> roll 1d10+3
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 1d10+3 and gets 8."12 [1d10=5]
[01:21] <Phi> roll 1d20 + 4
06[01:21] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d20 + 4 and gets 8."12 [1d20=8]
[01:22] <Phi> roll 1d10 + 4
06[01:22] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 + 4 and gets 1."12 [1d10=1]
01[01:22] <Kallen> OOC: can't put in spaces, roll again
[01:22] <Phi> roll 1d10+4
06[01:22] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10+4 and gets 8."12 [1d10=4]
01[01:23] <Kallen> OOC: You can go first, let's say
01[01:23] <Kallen> OOC: Surprise advantage!
06[01:23] * Phi shoulder barges the man with the sword!
01[01:24] <Kallen> OOC: You get a +2 die bonus to all attacks, and a +1 bonus to your defense while under the effects of Fyrbloat
01[01:24] <Kallen> OOC: make a brawl+strength check
01[01:24] <Kallen> OOC: well, attack
[01:24] <Phi> roll 3d10
06[01:24] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 3d10 and gets 19."12 [3d10=6, 6, 7]
[01:25] <Phi> (plus 2 bonus die?)
01[01:25] <Kallen> OOC: Yes
[01:25] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[01:25] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 13."12 [2d10=7, 6]
01[01:26] <Kallen> Phi charges into the man, but his ram doesn't seem to make solid contact with his sword-wielding foe- who spins around and screams at Phi's sudden appearance, and lashes out spastically!
01[01:26] <Kallen> OOC: what's your defense?
[01:26] <Phi> OOC: 3 before the 1 point bonus.
01[01:27] <Kallen> roll 2d10
06[01:27] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 18."12 [2d10=9, 9]
01[01:27] <Kallen> His powerful- though erratic- swing catches Phi in the chest, leaving a terrible gash across his midsection... OOC: What IS your damage at the moment
[01:28] <Phi> (1 Lethal.)
01[01:28] <Kallen> OOC: Now it's 3, right
01[01:28] <Kallen> The girl seems a bit shocked at the entrance of her sudden help, but quickly gets her bearings and swings away at the guy's head with her mighty pipe!
01[01:28] <Kallen> roll 5d10
06[01:28] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 5d10 and gets 24."12 [5d10=7, 4, 6, 6, 1]
01[01:28] <Kallen> But she likewise misses, hitting only air!
01[01:28] <Kallen> OOC: Your move!
[01:31] <Phi> "Jeez, that's some weak shit! Time to bring the freaking STORM!" Phi channels, attempting to manipulate the mill's clouds!
[01:32] <Phi> roll 5d10
06[01:32] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 5d10 and gets 28."12 [5d10=1, 5, 9, 3, 10]
[01:32] <Phi> roll 1d10
06[01:32] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 1d10 and gets 8."12 [1d10=8]
01[01:33] <Kallen> A lightning bolt lashes out from one of the nearby thunderclouds, illuminating the bedraggled swordsman for a moment, before he crumples to the ground in a smoking heap!
[01:35] <Phi> "ALRIIIGHT! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK WITH ME!" Phi kicks at the lifeless body, laughing all the while!
01[01:36] <Kallen> The girl seems taken rather aback at this display of confidence. She lowers her arms, and backs away a step, clearly terrified.
[01:36] <Phi> "Not so tough now, huh? That fancy schmancy sword didn't do you any good when you had to take on real power, did it?! In fact, think I'll take that as a reward, if you don't mind!" Phi takes the weapon, smiling.
01[01:37] <Kallen> Phi finds himself holding a katana; a glance indicates that the man also has a sheathe for it. He didn't look particularly fit, though, but with a blade like this, you don't need to be to inflict grevious harm.
[01:37] <Phi> "Huh? What's wrong? I saved you, didn't I? That's what I'm supposed to do, remember?! I'm the hero! He was the bad guy! Now get over here and give me a kiss or something like you're supposed to!"
06[01:37] * Phi takes the katana for himself, sheathe and all. It was wasted on this pile of trash, anyway.
01[01:38] <Kallen> OOC: Make an intimidation+presence check?
01[01:38] <Kallen> OOC: +3 bonus to the roll
[01:38] <Phi> roll 7d10
06[01:38] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 7d10 and gets 20."12 [7d10=1, 5, 1, 5, 3, 1, 4]
01[01:39] <Kallen> The girl backs away another step, before turning around and bolting away from Phi at top speed! He could easily catch her, though...
[01:40] <Phi> "Hey, hold it! Don't you fucking run away!" Phi orders the cloud to strike again!
[01:40] <Phi> roll 7d10
06[01:40] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 7d10 and gets 37."12 [7d10=7, 5, 6, 6, 5, 2, 6]
01[01:40] <Kallen> The bolt slams into the ground next to the girl, but she obediently freezes in place nonetheless.
06[01:41] * Phi walks up to her, grabbing her by the hair. "Didn't you hear me the first time? Show some fucking gratitude, or next time I won't miss."
01[01:42] <Kallen> OOC: Make a wits+composure check at -2?
[01:42] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[01:42] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 15."12 [2d10=7, 8]
01[01:43] <Kallen> The woman appears to submit for a moment, but Phi notes that while she dropped her pipe, she's also pulling a switchblade from her pocket...
06[01:44] * Phi decides to make use of his new weapon...!
01[01:44] <Kallen> OOC: Make a dex+melee roll?
[01:44] <Phi> "Don't get cocky!"
01[01:44] <Kallen> OOC: er, weaponry?
[01:45] <Phi> roll 3d10
06[01:45] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 3d10 and gets 17."12 [3d10=6, 6, 5]
01[01:46] <Kallen> The woman shows uncanny reflexes, ducking under the blade and lunging to stab Phi in the chest!
01[01:46] <Kallen> roll 2d10
06[01:46] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 5."12 [2d10=1, 4]
01[01:46] <Kallen> But she misses, succeeding only in shoving him forward a step!
06[01:46] * Phi makes to disarm the woman. Literally, if necessary.
01[01:47] <Kallen> OOC: make yon attack?
[01:47] <Phi> roll 5d10
06[01:47] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 5d10 and gets 34."12 [5d10=10, 3, 4, 10, 7]
[01:47] <Phi> roll 2d10
06[01:47] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 12."12 [2d10=6, 6]
01[01:48] <Kallen> The blow slices across her chest, and the woman screams in pain, dropping the knife and collapsing to the ground, clutching at her bleeding injury!
06[01:50] * Phi grabs her by the hair, yanking her head up. "Say you're sorry for not giving thanks to the guy who saved your ass! Say it!!"
01[01:51] <Kallen> The girl continues to scream; it could, conceivably, sound like a few words, but the injury is far too severe to allow for rational thought. She'll certainly bleed out and die soon enough.
06[01:53] * Phi quickly grows bored, impaling her to end it.
01[01:54] <Kallen> The girl doesn't take long to expire...
06[01:55] * Phi looks disappointed, quickly examining the girl's body for any trinkets or valuables.
01[01:56] <Kallen> The girl appears to have a nice watch and a wallet, which has a driver's license that identifies her as 'Kaitryn Hardy'. She also has a mobile phone on her!
[01:57] <Phi> "Huh. Junk, all of it." Phi dumps the bodies in the river, unimpressed. He decides to go back to the branch and take as many of the Fyrbloats as he can carry - that's some gooooood shit right there.
01[01:58] <Kallen> He can carry about two safely, since he appears to lack any form of bag...
06[01:59] * Phi takes all he can get before making his way to the university gateway, still hyped.
01[01:59] <Kallen> The gateway appears to be where he left it the last time, and he makes his way outside...
01[01:59] <Kallen> roll 2d10
06[01:59] * Hatbot --> "Kallen rolls 2d10 and gets 11."12 [2d10=3, 8]
01[02:01] <Kallen> ...and as he steps out onto the campus grounds, a sudden fit comes over him, a sudden sinking of the stomach. Today, he may have killed three people. He didn't just kill them, he laughed about it afterwards. He was so drunk on that violence, that force- not something he had to do, but something he did just to feel good. To feel stronger.
01[02:02] <Kallen> But now, in the cold wind of Valiance Winter, it's hard to escape a sudden onrush of guilt, not to mention the realisation of just how much he's trying to fool himself...
[02:03] <Phi> "...Gah." Phi falls to his knees, almost choking on his own breath. "...Remember what you're fighting for. Greater good, greater good..."
01[02:04] <Kallen> Nobody around is present to reaffirm Phi's cause to him.
[02:06] <Phi> The mark across his chest burns again, and for the first time he feels the pain behind the blow. "...I...I can take it. I'm...I'm Stormbringer, right? That means...I don't take shit...from anyone. I'll be fine...right?" He doesn't sound particularly certain, but he rises to his feet and begins the walk to the commissioner's house regardless. He grunts, trying to avoid giving away that
[02:06] <Phi> there's a giant slice mark beneath his jacket as he continues along, hiding the katana under there as well for good measure.
[02:07] <Phi> "...It'll all be worth it. When I get to see that bitch with a sword stuck through her chest...none of this will even matter. Just gotta keep going..."
01[02:08] <Kallen> OOC: yeah, just so you know, katanas are big
01[02:08] <Kallen> OOC: you can't exactly hide it
01[02:09] <Kallen> Phi's phone beeps! It alerts him that he has one missed call.
01[02:09] <Kallen> Which would appear to be from Ivy...
06[02:09] * Phi realises this, sighs, and dumps it in a trash can. No-one's to see him, after all. It was a nice weapon, but he'll have to do without.
06[02:10] * Phi grumbles, redialling and returning the call.
01[02:10] <Kallen> OOC: join #hedge for a moment
06[02:54] * Phi hangs up the call. He's decided that if he sits still and regrets what he's done, all it'll do is give him something else to feel like shit over. Better, then, to disregard the past and stop worrying about trifling things like morality.
06[02:57] * Phi starts muttering a song to himself as he walks on, something he saw in a comic somewhere. Subconsiously, the lyrics come out of his mouth differently from the ones in his head. "Though he doubts his host's moralities, he decides that he is more at ease, in the Land of Doing-As-You-Please than outside in the cold..."

[Carthrat]

01[00:17] <Erin> Peter Sauer's household, Phi discovers, is not what one would call a bad place to live. In the richer side of suburbia, it is a large house amongst large houses; an edifice of grey. The thick-looking stone wall between him and the actual house seems an imposing barrier. From the front, there is a gate; it is closed, and he can see an intercom-
01[00:17] <Erin> -and a numbered keypad next to it, the first stage of security for the well-to-do.
[00:18] <@Phi> Are there any cameras in the area?
01[00:19] <Erin> The intercom panel might have one to screen guests with, but if there are others, they aren't in Phi's range of vision.
06[00:21] * @Phi winces. He has a plan to get in quick, but he knows its going to hurt. He reaches down to the wound on his chest and opens it slightly, bringing up another small wave of blood. He doesn't need to act out a cry of pain as he fires his weapon twice into the air, his hand pressing against the intercom.
[00:25] <@Phi> "Get back here, dammit! You can't just attack an officer and-gh!"
01[00:28] <Erin> Agonizing moments pass, until there's a voice coming out from the intercom itself- a woman's- "Oh, god! Who're you? Peter!"
06[00:30] * @Phi winces, practically shouting out his words. "Don't worry, I'm with the VCPD! Tell the commissioner that Sergeant Maude sent me! And if you've got a first aid kit, I could sure as hell use it right now!"
03[00:33] * Hatbot (~Hatbot@cpe-70-123-153-22.austin.res.rr.com) has joined #nomansland
01[00:33] <Erin> roll 6d10
06[00:33] * Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 6d10 and gets 30."12 [6d10=9, 2, 3, 10, 5, 1]
01[00:33] <Erin> roll 1d10
06[00:33] * Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d10 and gets 10."12 [1d10=10]
01[00:33] <Erin> roll 1d10
06[00:33] * Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d10 and gets 8."12 [1d10=8]
01[00:34] <Erin> The woman seems rather startled, but a few moments later, a man's voice comes on. "I heard it. I'm letting you-" The voice pauses. "You say you're from the VCPD? What's your ID number?"
[00:35] <@Phi> roll 3d10
06[00:35] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 3d10 and gets 3."12 [3d10=1, 1, 1]
[00:37] <@Phi> "Three twenty five, fourty two ninety six! Do we really have time for this, sir?!"
01[00:38] <Erin> "Yeah. Yeah, I'm opening the gate," he replies, and there's a buzzing sound that indicates the door is unlocked.
06[00:38] * @Phi almost falls through the doorway, still grabbing at his chest as he walks along
01[00:39] <Erin> The gate automatically swings shut behind Phi, who can now proceed to the front door.
06[00:40] * @Phi does so, relieved he's managed to get past what could have easily been a horrible slip-up.
01[00:41] <Erin> Phi manages to reach the front door, which is, like most doors as of late, closed and locked.
06[00:42] * @Phi knocks. "Sir?"
[00:43] <@Phi> roll 2d10
06[00:43] * Hatbot --> "Phi rolls 2d10 and gets 6."12 [2d10=1, 5]
01[00:43] <Erin> roll 4d10
06[00:43] * Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 4d10 and gets 23."12 [4d10=9, 1, 8, 5]
01[00:45] <Erin> There's no response to Phi, not for a few moments, not until he hears a click from the side. "Drop your weapon," states Peter Sauer- in the edge of his vision, Phi can see the man emerged from around the side of the house, and is armed with some kind of longarm.
06[00:46] * @Phi flinches, looking to his side in confusion. "Sir, what's going on?"
01[00:47] <Erin> "Drop your weapon! Do it now!" barks the man; his striped pyjamas would be amusing, if it weren't for the evil-looking gun he carries.
[00:48] <@Phi> "OK, OK!" Phi complies, holding his hands up for good measure.
01[00:49] <Erin> Sauer gestures with his rifle. "Walk over there, slowly. Put your hands up against the wall," he orders, indicating the inner side of the wall encircling his house.
[00:50] <@Phi> "And then what? You're going to shoot me for following orders?" Phi is ready to charge him, focusing his Glamour to increase his speed and reach him before he fires.
01[00:52] <Erin> "Get. Walking." The cop isn't in any mood to advance on Phi, it seems, remaining a comfortable three meters back.
06[00:55] * @Phi takes a few steps backwards, looking as if he's complying, but with a sudden burst of speed breaks into a dash, slides down to pick up the dropped gun, and fire at Sauer before the old man can react!
01[00:56] <Erin> The slight movement of a trigger finger certainly outpaces Phi's mad jump, and a burst of fire echoes out into the night!
01[00:56] <Erin> roll 12d10
06[00:56] * Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 12d10 and gets 66."12 [12d10=1, 4, 4, 8, 10, 1, 2, 8, 6, 9, 5, 8]
01[00:56] <Erin> roll 1d10
06[00:56] * Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d10 and gets 5."12 [1d10=5]
01[00:56] <Erin> OOC: Sooo you take 5 lethal damage!
01[00:57] <Erin> Bullets slam into Phi, who is dropped to the ground in a moment with barely a moment before his vision fades out...