Old soldiers don't die. They just fade away.

[Sierra]

<El-Cideon> It's a much nicer morning in Beijing compared to the last one, sunny and clear. Too bad you won't be around to enjoy most of it--the caverns are as dark, cold and gloomy as ever. Again the plain of black glass stretches out before you, the bare stone rim edging around to the north and the south.
<Erin> "Let's make our way back to the transit hub," suggests Erin, recalling that there was one route that hadn't chosen to explore along those lines. Surely the city itself would contain more interesting sources than rooting around in the sewers, or whatnot.
* Nadia_Chekova does prefer riding the floating train to walking, so she happily starts circling around the field of charnel ice, trying to avoid looking at it directly as she shines her torch on the path ahead.
<El-Cideon> OOC: moving around which direction? You took south last time.
<Erin> OOC: What were our options?
<Erin> OOC: I figured we'd take the same route we did last time to the train station
<El-Cideon> OOC: around the glass plain? Just north and south around it. They wind up at the same place, just asking.
<El-Cideon> OOC: And okay, will move along if you're going the same way.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d100 and gets 45."12 [1d100=45]
<El-Cideon> The trek around the plain is uneventful. As you're climbing the long stairs up into the city, though--(OOC: roll listen)
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20-1 Rena, this is always special
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20-1 Rena, this is always special and gets 9."12 [1d20=10]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20
<Erin> roll 1d20+2
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20 and gets 10."12 [1d20=10]
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+2 and gets 6."12 [1d20=4]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+10 maybe Suzume can save this
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+10 maybe Suzume can save this and gets 19."12 [1d20=9]
<El-Cideon> "There's something up there," Suzume whispers when you're twenty feet or so from the top. "I hear...something like claws on stone."
<Erin> "One of those creatures again, I would bet," murmurs Erin, withdrawing a gun. "Well, they seem to be solitary, in general. One shouldn't be able to hurt us."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Maybe it'll be friendly?" Nadia posits hopefully. Although it's doubtful their good relations with the ones at Mount Fuji will be at all relevant here...
<El-Cideon> "What creatures?" Suzume asks. "The horned people?"
<Yomi> "Wasn't that who you were talking about?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Yes. We saw your group had a violent run in with some yesterday," Nadia comments, glancing at Suzume before shining her torch up the stairs.
<Erin> "I was talking about the native animals," admits Erin. "I'd rather not have that struggle be repeated here."
<Cidward> "Er, well, yes, we did...Kurou tried talking to them, but they must not have liked what we had to say." "Or he just got bored with them," Lucia adds.
<Cidward> OOC: going up, Nadia?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: just shining up from where I am, I'll bravely stay behind Yomi
<Cidward> OOC: in that case:
<Cidward> Nadia shines her flashlight up the staircase. In short order, as if drawn to it, a creature appears at the top of the stairs. Tall as a man, black, torchlight shining dully off of hard chitin, it walks on four stiltlike legs. Insectile body topped by a long, thin head with a multitude of beady eyes. Judging by the scythelike forearms and the stinger slung beneath its body, it can only be a predator. It chitters and marches forward. OOC: init
<Erin> roll 1d20+7 at least it's not a retriever
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+7 at least it's not a retriever and gets 16."12 [1d20=9]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+7
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+7 and gets 13."12 [1d20=6]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+3 thing
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+3 thing and gets 15."12 [1d20=12]
<Cidward> roll 1d20 Rena
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20 Rena and gets 19."12 [1d20=19]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+1 I need to do something about this
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+1 I need to do something about this and gets 16."12 [1d20=15]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+2 Suzume
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+2 Suzume and gets 10."12 [1d20=8]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+4 Lucia
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+4 Lucia and gets 23."12 [1d20=19]
* Retrieving #HometownHeroes modes...
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 44/72, Nadia: 55/62, Erin: 51/58, Rena: 59/68  Lucia > Rena > Erin = Yomi > Thing > Nadia > Suzume'
<Cidward> OOC: Lucia's up.
<Cidward> "What the Christ?!" Lucia pulls her guns and (carefully!) shoots past the rest of the line at the creature!
<Cidward> roll 1d20+10
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+10 and gets 22."12 [1d20=12]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+10
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+10 and gets 20."12 [1d20=10]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+10
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+10 and gets 19."12 [1d20=9]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+5
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+5 and gets 12."12 [1d20=7]
<Cidward> roll 3#2d6+1 she fails less today
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 3#2d6+1 she fails less today and gets 28."12 [3#2d6+1 = 9, 10, 9]
<Cidward> Bullets crack the creature's shell, ichor pouring forth as it whines it dismay! Rena rushes forward to try and finish it off.
<Cidward> roll 1d20+11
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+11 and gets 21."12 [1d20=10]
<Cidward> roll 2d6+6
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 2d6+6  and gets 11."12 [2d6=2, 3]
<Cidward> Rena lays into the creature with an audible *crunch* as her sword buries itself in the monster's chest. It burbles pathetically and crumples to a heap on the ground. OOC: free act. It was fairly weak and single enemies are pretty boned against you guys.
<Erin> OOC: Strategic analysis noted
<Nadia_Chekova> "That's disgusting," Nadia opines as she creeps up behind Rena, taking a good look at the enormous spider before feeling too revolted and averting her eyes queasily.
<Cidward> "What--what is that?" Suzume gasps. "We didn't see one of those before!"
<Yomi> "Weaklings like these should just run away and save their hides," Yomi states with a frown, checking whether it's a demon or yet another freak of nature like the dog-sized rats.
<Erin> "I wonder if it's worth bringing one of these back with us, later," wonders Erin, eyeing it with more curiosity than disgust. "There are some biologists who would probably like to dissect the body."
<Yomi> "Only if you carry it."
<Cidward> "You want to carry that thing around with us, you're doing it yourself," Lucia agrees.
<Yomi> "To be fair, if you do carry it, I will have other objections, like you getting your own room and your own shower," Yomi adds. "But I'm fairly confident the first condition is enough to stop this foolishness."
<Erin> "Foolishness?" echoes Erin, frowning. "I didn't expect you'd have such hangups. It's a curiosity, isn't it?"
<Yomi> "It's not a demon, so it's just a large creepy insect," Yomi helpfully elaborates.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Much like all the other demons and monsters we've encountered that are seemingly unknown to the rest of the world?" Nadia asks Erin.
<Cidward> "It smells disgusting," Rena says, wrinkling her nose. "I would like to be someplace where it isn't."
<Erin> "Well, our understanding of them is weak!" replies Erin, starting past the creature. "A rigorous investigation into all sorts of phenomena can't be frowned upon."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Which once more confuses me as to why no one has done that already," Nadia frowns as she follows Erin.
<Cidward> Erin finds the car waiting where she'd left it, undisturbed since your last trip.
<Erin> "Well... no reason to be held back by the past," replies Erin, getting the train set up and ready to go.
<Cidward> The car drifts along through the dead city, your travel not interrupted any further. Soon enough, you reach the central station again and are presented with the same choices as before: the tracks go east (to the broken seal), north (though a fallen car blocks the route unless you want to go on foot) and south (the route map noted destinations such as "maintenance and control towers.")
<Erin> If the seal is broken, it won't hold any new mysteries, so Erin opts to direct the train towards the control towers.
<Cidward> The car cruises south, soon leaving the city proper--buildings grow sparser around you and then vanish altogether, the car entering a narrow passageway that slopes downward for some minutes and then flares out into another great cavern. (more)
<Cidward> The ground looks different here--just glancing outside the car, it looks less like smooth stone and more like soft soil. There is a building of some sort approaching on your left, though it looks tumbled down and ruined. Only the first floor appears to stand still.
<Yomi> "Are you sure it said towers?" Yomi confirms with Erin.
<Erin> "I certainly am," replies Erin, glancing at the wreckage. "Shall we take a look at this one?"
<Cidward> There's a stone platform right at the edge of the tracks, as though meant for passengers to step down from a car such as yours.
<Nadia_Chekova> "That's what we're here for," Nadia nods agreeably to Erin.
<Erin> Erin rapidly disembarks from the train, ready to scope out the interior of this once-stately structure.
* Nadia_Chekova hops off after Erin, shining her torch at the structure as she approaches it.
<Cidward> The building backs against the wall of the cavern--like most of the local buildings, it almost looks carved from it. The upper floors must have been knocked down with some force--scorch marks mar the jagged stone rimming the top of the single remaining floor. Rubble is strewn for some meters alongside the building. (more)
<Cidward> The interior of the first floor is half-filled with debris, but navigable if someone chose to go inside. You also begin to notice, scattered around the ground (which feels very much like soil as you step upon it), small, pale growths very reminiscent of mushrooms.
* Nadia_Chekova just ate breakfast earlier, so the mushrooms don't hold that much appeal. She first looks in through the windows of the structure to avoid any unpleasant surprises before entering via the door and picking over the rubble in search of anything interesting.
<Erin> Erin glances inside the structure for a moment, just in case any more creatures are within.
* Yomi heads inside the structure to draw any attacks to her, if they would be coming.
<Cidward> Erin is not attacked by ghosts or bloodthirsty insects this time. The interior must have been a large room once, though half of it is filled with rubble now. What remains suggests that a barricade of sorts was once erected around the entrance, large pieces of the stone as well as wrecked chairs and the like ringing it on the inside. Erin's light illuminates charts of some sort on one intact wall, over a desk in a corner.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Looks like they were besieged," Nadia comments after noting the barricade. "Probably didn't expect the roof to fall on them, though."
<Yomi> "It looks safe enough," Yomi announces, glancing closer as the charts. "To be fair, no one ever expects that."
<Erin> "It's probably the same in most buildings," guesses Erin, wandering over to inspect the desk and wall.
<Cidward> The chart maps a network of...something. You'd need to be able to read the language to tell what. But it seems to extend throughout the cavern.
<Cidward> There is also a small stone emblem on the desk below the chart, covered in a layer of dust.
<Erin> Erin incants a spell that should rapidly solve her communications failure.
<Cidward> It does indeed--the chart maps an irrigation network. There's a box at the top left of the map that is clearly this building, and the lines of the network branch out to fountains outside. To the south is an empty patch noted to be a reservoir. (more)
<Cidward> The stone emblem does not translate for Erin--not actually a word or letter, perhaps. Just a short series of hash marks on what looks like a pin one would wear.
<Cidward> "Doesn't this place frighten anyone else?" Suzume asks, practically clinging to anyone with a flashlight. "It's like a whole world of people just vanished."
<Erin> Erin quickly checks to see if the emblem itself is magical. "This was the center of an irrigation network. I guess they farmed everything around here," she suggests. "That would explain the soil... well," she remarks, glancing at Suzume. "It's eerie..."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I like being here more than being by that field of black ice," Nadia shivers a little. "But considering all the dangerous monsters lurking around, I think anyone should be frightened."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Except Yomi," she adds. "Since she's most dangerous of all."
<Cidward> "Yes she is," Rena agrees, with clear approval.
* Yomi laughs. "I'm not really frightened, that's true."
<Erin> Erin pockets the emblem after a moment, but doesn't waste time in wandering over to a pile of scrap and kicking bits of it aside.
<Cidward> Erin finds what she's looking for soon enough, her magical senses not allowing it to hide. Along with a handful of other pins (most with the same symbol, one slightly different, with a slashed-through circle instead) she unearths a brilliant orange gem on a silver necklace. An inch long and half that wide, its faceted surface looks undamaged by age or wear.
<Erin> "These are probably badges of rank. This.. I don't really know what this is, though," she admits, picking up the shiny necklace and holding it to Nadia's torch.
<Cidward> Light gleams off it, reflected in many directions.
* Nadia_Chekova shines her torch over it obligingly. "It's very pretty," she notes, trying to determine what type of gemstone it is...
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+8 knowledge arts?
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+8 knowledge arts? and gets 22."12 [1d20=14]
<Nadia_Chekova> "Topaz," she taps the stone. "I prefer diamonds, but it's a very fine cut," she smiles.
<Erin> Erin spins it around her finger, and then slips it in her pocket. "I think that's all that's around here. Any functions this facility had must have been wrecked already. Underground irrigation... marvelous, really! I wonder what the natural ecosystem looked like beforehand? I suppose many of the caves must have been hollowed out deliberately..." she muses, starting to head back to the car.
<Nadia_Chekova> "I just wonder where we are. Are we underneath Beijing or somewhere else entirely?" Nadia asks as she follows Erin. "For all we know this could be Antarctica or the middle of the Pacific."
<Cidward> "So this place was a *farm*?" Lucia asks as she boards the car after Erin.
<Erin> "I presume the geographic relation of the portal on earth has some relevance to our current position, but there's no way to be sure without drilling upwards." replies Erin, before nodding at Lucia. "It looks that way. Everyone needs to eat, and I don't think they have any surface-side colonies."
<Cidward> "Had," she corrects. "I don't see anyone living here, either. Except for bugs."
<Yomi> "Someone was living here to be killed just the other day, and there had to be others," Yomi mentions.
<Erin> "Well, there was clearly an extinction-scale event, and all signs point towards it being some sort of invasion, which I at this point presume to be otherworldly. Except, of course, it's not quite an extinction, as the indigenous denizens still exist, albeit in small numbers."
<Cidward> "Master--Kurou did say he found two languages down here....the one on the seals is different from everything else," Suzume adds.
<Erin> "Yes, it's... difficult to translate, even with contrivances," replies Erin. "Honestly, it's fatiguing to even try."
<Nadia_Chekova> "So, will we keep going in this direction or turn back now?" Nadia asks as she gets back onto the train.
<Erin> "Let's keep going and see if we come across any intact control areas. I was under the impression this would lead to a maintenance facility for the trains themselves."
<Cidward> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d100 and gets 30."12 [1d100=30]
<Cidward> The train moves on in silence. Great columns of stone pass by as you drift along, supporting the unseen ceiling far up in the darkness. Whatever once thrived in these fields is gone, only the occasional mushroom (some of them, though, large enough for someone to sit on comfortably) pushing up through the soil now. After a couple minutes of travel--
<Cidward> roll 10d6
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 10d6 and gets 37."12 [10d6=1, 4, 6, 6, 5, 1, 2, 6, 1, 5]
<Cidward> Out of nowhere, there's a *thump* from the front of the car, a moment of terrified chittering as something flails against the vehicle, then a rolling bump as it passes under the car itself, knocking against the underside. Then silence again as you continue moving, the car apparently none the worse for wear.
* Yomi blinks.
* Nadia_Chekova jumps in fright and then looks out the back of the car. "I think we hit something!" she says unnecessarily.
<Erin> "We did hit something!" replies Erin. "Oh, god, I hope it wasn't a person..." she mumbles, breaking the car suddenly and peering out the windows to check!
<Cidward> Nadia and Erin can see a mangled insect corpse, briefly, just before it passes out of sight.
<Erin> Her conscience happily saved from guilt, Erin returns to the front of the car.
* Yomi checks to make sure Erin had turned the headlights on.
<Cidward> "That was very effective," Rena says, catching a glimpse of the dead creature. "We should use this against all our enemies."
<Nadia_Chekova> "It was a pity the tracks stopped before where Wakahisa was standing yesterday," Nadia concurs.
<Cidward> In time, the view outside changes slightly. To the south, light begins to gleam off something--water, you find out soon enough. The shore of a lake approaches the tracks, eventually subsuming them. The car can still move, it seems, though a tad slower. (more)
<Cidward> To the north, just beyond the tracks, lie great, shattered hunks of stone. It looks like crystal of some sort, of a yellow hue. The fragments run dozens of meters in length and look sunk into the soil as though pressed in with some force, or the ground has grown around them. The fragments are always jagged and broken on one side, curved and smooth on another. (more)
<Cidward> The water beneath the car grows deeper, slowing its movement but not yet stopping it. You come to a building, a tower--this one seemingly intact. At least, it rises upwards beyond the range of your torchlight. The car looks headed for an aperture directly in the middle of the building.
<Erin> Erin glances ahead as far as she can- does it look as though the building itself is flooded?
* Nadia_Chekova shines her torch over the fallen fragments. "Looks like some enormous dome collapsed," she suggests before focusing on the approaching tower.
<Cidward> The water has clearly flooded into the first floor of the tower. You could probably stand up inside without trouble if you don't mind getting wet, though.
<Yomi> "The one holding water for the irrigations?" Yomi suggests, curious as to what the building would hold.
<Erin> Erin pushes the train onwards until it's inside the flooded tower. "Possibly. I assumed the water was diverted from an underground river, and dammed up somewhere," she replies, uncertainly.
* Nadia_Chekova looks to see if there's anything they can jump onto from the train to avoid getting wet.
<Cidward> The car comes to a halt inside the building. Water floods the entirety of the first floor. A thorough look around turns up the broken stump of a stairway leading upwards. This floor, at least, is pretty thoroughly scoured of any place to stand. A look up shows a large hole in the ceiling about fifteen feet above; the edges of it could conceivably be reached with some effort.
<Nadia_Chekova> "We could probably climb up there if we got onto the roof of the car," Nadia points out the hole as she leans out a window.
<Cidward> The top of the car looks like it would put someone within easy reach of the gap in the ceiling, yes.
<Yomi> "I'll give you a hand!" Yomi agrees, trying to help Nadia reach the next floor through the hole.
<Erin> "I'd rather try that than get soaked. Besides, there might be predatory fish."
* Nadia_Chekova adroitly scrambles up onto the roof of the car before attempting to haul herself up onto the rim of the hole above!
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+14 climb
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+14 climb and gets 27."12 [1d20=13]
* Yomi remains atop the train car to help others along, intending to climb up last.
<Erin> Erin attempts to follow Nadia's movements, with significantly less grace and somewhat more flailing.
<Cidward> This is easily accomplished--there's not really more than standing room between the top of the car and the ceiling above, so it's really just a hop and a pull-up to ascend. Nadia finds herself in what looks to have been some manner of control room--panels ring the walls, and great, empty windows look out into the darkness. The stairway is intact on this floor, proceeding further upwards.
<Erin> roll 1d20+1 climbing?
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+1 climbing? and gets 12."12 [1d20=11]
<Cidward> With some assistance from Yomi, Erin is thrust up after Nadia.
<Cidward> roll 1d20+3+2+2 Rena's not likely to fail this
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+3+2+2 Rena's not likely to fail this and gets 8."12 [1d20=1]
* Nadia_Chekova hops back down onto the roof to offer a hand up as well for anyone who needs it.
<Cidward> Rena slips and tumbles into the water with a *splash*. After a laugh from Lucia, the spaniard takes Yomi's hand and proceeds up with much more care (OOC: Lucia/Suzume taking ten, yes.)
* Yomi leans over to help Rena haul herself out of the water and back into the car, slightly incredulous.
* Nadia_Chekova winces at Rena's fall, ready to offer her a further hand up once she recovers.
<Cidward> Rena hauls herself up with some help, dripping wet now and shivering. "It looked easy when Erin did it...Does anyone have a dry set of clothes with them? The water is freezing."
<Erin> Erin mumbles something under her breath, and the water just drips away from Rena's body. "Just don't fall in coming back down, it only works once," she notes, turning to inspect the room.
* Yomi brings up the rear!
<Cidward> Rena looks down, feels the dryness of her dress. "Oh. Thank you, Erin. It is good to know your magic can do things that are useful."
* Yomi coughs suddenly, turning away.
* Nadia_Chekova likewise has to turn away to hide her urge to laugh.
<Cidward> Erin's magical translation spell tells her the panels principally controlled things like luminosity (there is a scarred display for this purpose, with a great circle that seems to have been meant to display areas of the cavern currently lit) and temperature.
<Erin> Erin quickly checks out the room to see if there's any magic present, before pressing one of the panels at random to see if anything might happen.
<Cidward> Whatever caused this facility to operate no longer seems to be in working order.
<Erin> "I don't think anything in this room is operational," states Erin, keeping her face carefully straight. "But there's something magical above us. It might just be some kind of trinket, of course, with no more practical use than preventing people from getting shot, or something trivial like that, but we might as well have a look."
<Cidward> Suzume, meanwhile, turns to Rena: "Is that how you show gratitude to your friends? She did something helpful and you insulted her!" Rena just frowns. "I said 'Thank you,' didn't I?"
<Yomi> "Sad but true." Yomi nods her head slowly. "That was Rena being genuinely kind and respectful."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Maybe it'll be another magic sword?" Nadia wonders, starting to head up and avoiding the brewing argument over the wonders of magic and its uses.
<Cidward> "Well...I think she needs more practice," Suzume says. "It's just a polite suggestion!"
<Erin> "I don't think this place is an armory, but really I have no idea what it could be," replies Erin, trailing after Nadia. "These things come in time, Suzume-san. Probably. Don't worry about it."
<Cidward> Nadia finds the next floor mostly strewn with knocked-in walls. The profusion of desks suggest this was an administrative area once. The stairs continue upward. You don't see any walls or a ceiling at the next landing. Looks like it leads to the roof from here.
<Erin> "Next floor up," comments Erin, although she takes a quick look at the desks to see if anything legible remains.
* Nadia_Chekova spends a few minutes rooting through the desks and in their drawers for treasure.
<Yomi> "Probably," Yomi agrees, sidling with Suzume. "Rena's changed quite a bit from when we met her."
<Cidward> Nothing of note to read here--if the administrators used paper, it's long since decayed to dust. Nadia does find another pair of pins like those discovered in the maintenance building, with the basic hash-mark insignia.
<Cidward> "Well, I can't imagine what she used to be--I mean...!" Suzume cuts herself off before uttering anything especially critical. "If she needs lessons in etiquette, I could teach her?"
<Yomi> "More than the actual lessons, what Rena likes is being shown the need for the skills she learns. So if you want to help her there, you'll need to first show her why and how etiquette would make her life better."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Unless she can use etiquette to get men to sleep with her, she won't care," Nadia remarks boredly as she closes a drawer with a sigh. "Nothing interesting here. Up we go?"
<Yomi> "Hey, that's not true!" Yomi protests. "There's more to Rena than that!"
<Cidward> "Well, um, she could use it for that if she wanted to..." Suzume reluctantly admits.
<Erin> "Well, it certainly won't help her in a fight," notes Erin, starting to head upstairs.
<Cidward> "Yes," Rena says. "Sometimes I hit people too."
<Erin> "Still, I think it might do you good, Rena. People can be quite sensitive. At least you might get an understanding as to why."
<Cidward> Erin finds herself on the roof of the building. The tower's narrowed by now, to about thirty feet wide. A low parapet encircles the roof, broken through in places. Up above, at the edge of your light, you can see crystal fragments--like those strewn below--embedded in the ceiling. (more)
<Cidward> There is also someone here, looking out into the darkness. The figure turns at the sound of your footsteps. It's a woman--a human woman, from the look of her. Tall, with sharp, commanding features and long brown hair (though the color throughout her is faded, and she seems faintly transparent). (more)
<Cidward> The clothes she wears are mostly form-fitting, utilitarian but with some flourishes at the neck, shoulders and collars. It looks very much like a military outfit, though not from any country you can place. She smiles and spreads her arms as she sees you, and speaks in a strange, guttural language.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Er..." Nadia doesn't understand that at all, and thus looks hopefully at Erin to translate.
<Yomi> "What is the nice spectre saying, Erin?" Yomi asks, relying on the ever-useful mage.
<Erin> "She thinks we are soldiers," replies Erin, uncertainly. "Her soldiers, returning after completing a mission and coming to rest." She incants briefly, and touches the tip of her tounge before replying back in the same, guttural tounge. "I fear you have mistaken us," she replies.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Play along," Nadia nods eagerly, having no idea that Erin is being blissfully honest.
<Cidward> "Not at all." She smiles. "Come, I'll show you the way!" She steps forward, reaching out a hand for Erin.
<Yomi> "What's her name, rank and assosiation, then?" Yomi asks, frowning lightly. That's what the army uses, isn't it?
<Erin> Erin tentatively reaches out a hand to the spirit as her better judgement wars with her curiosity.
<Cidward> The apparition takes Erin's hand in her own--OOC: letting her do it?
<Erin> OOC: Sure
<Cidward> roll 1d4 STR
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d4 STR and gets 2."12 [1d4=2]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 44/72, Nadia: 55/62, Erin: 51/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 59/68  Lucia > Rena > Erin = Yomi > Thing > Nadia > Suzume'
<Cidward> Bitter cold floods through Erin--she can feel her essence being leeched away by the woman. "It'll all be over soon. Relax, for our work is at an end!"
<Yomi> "Whatwhatwhat are you doing, Erin?!" Yomi stammers, unable to comprehend the scene before her.
<Erin> Erin rips her hand away a moment later, cursing to herself. "We don't want that kind of rest!" she declares, a moment later.
<Yomi> "Demon ghost! Don't touch the demon ghost!"
<Cidward> Her expression hardens the instant Erin pulls away. "If you won't follow orders then you'll have to be disciplined!" OOC: init
<Yomi> roll 1d20+1
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+1 and gets 3."12 [1d20=2]
<Erin> roll 1d20+7 I don't use my strength anyway
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+7 I don't use my strength anyway and gets 22."12 [1d20=15]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+5 ghost-woman
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+5 ghost-woman and gets 6."12 [1d20=1]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+7
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+7 and gets 9."12 [1d20=2]
<Cidward> roll 1d20 Rena
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20 Rena and gets 15."12 [1d20=15]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+4 Lucia
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+4 Lucia  and gets 6."12 [1d20=2]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+2 suzume
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+2 suzume and gets 12."12 [1d20=10]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 44/72, Nadia: 55/62, Erin: 51/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 59/68  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> OOC: Your move, Erin. You're right next to her, everyone else is, say, 15 ft
<Erin> "I thought it was being friendly!" insists the mage, backing off to let the professionals do their work!
<Erin> She taps Rena on the shoulder, but the German woman surely doesn't appreciate the magical force that now protects her.
<Cidward> Rena darts forward to slash at the apparition twice in quick succession!
<Cidward> roll 1d20+11
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+11 and gets 25."12 [1d20=14]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+11 surge
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+11 surge and gets 13."12 [1d20=2]
<Cidward> roll 1d100 miss chance
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d100 miss chance and gets 98."12 [1d100=98]
<Cidward> roll 2d6+6
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 2d6+6 and gets 12."12 [2d6=4, 2]
<Cidward> The spectre howls in anger as Rena's enchanted blade slashes through her abdomen. "Insubordination! Unforgivable!" OOC: Suzume's up
<Cidward> Suzume backs away from the woman in fear, but has enough presence of mind to mutter a chant that fortifies the party's resolve. (OOC: party is blessed, +1 morale bonus to attacks/saves against fear)
<Cidward> OOC: Nadia.
<Nadia_Chekova> Nadia bravely advances forward to battle the ghost, although her attacks are unable to actually harm it she might offer enough distraction to help someone else!
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 I'm using Aid Another so Yomi can have +2 on her attack
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 I'm using Aid Another so Yomi can have +2 on her attack and gets 23."12 [1d20=11]
<Cidward> OOC: noted. Ghost/Lucia is up.
<Cidward> "Let it not be said that I would turn from a fight, no matter the odds against me!" the ghost woman yells in challenge. She closes her eyes, seems to concentrate for a moment--and waves of overwhelming cold gush out from her washing through all nearby. OOC: fort saves, everyone but Suzume (she ran to the far corner of the roof)
<Cidward> roll 1d20+9 Rena likes fort saves?
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+9 Rena likes fort saves? and gets 14."12 [1d20=5]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+9 and gets 27."12 [1d20=18]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+5 Lucia
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+5 Lucia and gets 15."12 [1d20=10]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+6 I'm not bad at these
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+6 I'm not bad at these and gets 12."12 [1d20=6]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 2d6 but could be better!
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 2d6 but could be better! and gets 6."12 [2d6=5, 1]
<Erin> roll 1d20+6
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+6 and gets 16."12 [1d20=10]
<Erin> roll 2#1d6+2 I could be better, too
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 2#1d6+2 I could be better, too and gets 10."12 [2#1d6+2 = 5, 5]
<Cidward> roll 6d6 cold, Erin/Yomi take half
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 6d6 cold, Erin/Yomi take half and gets 24."12 [6d6=4, 5, 6, 3, 4, 2]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 32/72, Nadia: 31/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 35/68  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> Frost forms on skin, limbs stiffen in the freezing gale Yomi and Erin hold firm, but others have less luck. "Jesus!" Lucia fires wildly. (OOC: she may as well just do aid too)
<Cidward> roll 1d20+12
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+12 and gets 28."12 [1d20=16]
<Cidward> OOC: More aid for the ghost-slayer. Go, Yomi.
* Yomi bravely charges in to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world, drawing her absurdly long sword while she cries, "Ranguren, devour her!"
<Yomi> OOC: Surge to charge!
<Cidward> OOC: go nuts.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+16+1+2+2+2+2-9 charge~
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+16+1+2+2+2+2-9 charge~ and gets 18."12 [1d20=2]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+16
<Cidward> OOC: ...Hatebot, miss.
<Yomi> roll 1d20+14
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+16 and gets 28."12 [1d20=12]
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+14 and gets 34."12 [1d20=20]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+14
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+14 and gets 20."12 [1d20=6]
<Cidward> OOC: first two of Ran-chan's hit. No crit, obviously.
<Yomi> roll 2d6+2d4+10
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+2d4+10 and gets 20."12 [2d6=3, 3][2d4=1, 3]
<Cidward> Yomi's attack is deftly dodged by the spirit--but Yomi's supernatural ally has more luck, biting and clawing the woman with a great crackling of loosed electricity. "Traitors, all of you!" she howls as her form wavers. "You will be dealt with accordingly!" OOC: Erin
<Erin> Somewhat surprised that their ghostly opponent has not already been properly dispersed, Erin feels compelled to fling a bolt of lightning at the apparition!
<Erin> roll 6d6 reflex DC... 16 half.
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 6d6 reflex DC... 16 half. and gets 23."12 [6d6=6, 3, 1, 6, 6, 1]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+13 her ref is actually pretty good, alas
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+13 her ref is actually pretty good, alas and gets 20."12 [1d20=7]
<Cidward> The bolt sizzles through the ghost--she starts to blink in and out of existence, still there but faltering. Rena swings three times to try and finish the job!
<Cidward> roll 1d20+11+2+2 she can flank this time
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+11+2+2 she can flank this time and gets 29."12 [1d20=14]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+11+1+2 (minor error last time, doesn't matter though)
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+11+1+2 (minor error last time, doesn't matter though) and gets 34."12 [1d20=20]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+6+1+2
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+6+1+2 and gets 18."12 [1d20=9]
<Cidward> roll 1d100 belated miss chance #1
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d100 belated miss chance #1 and gets 42."12 [1d100=42]
<Cidward> roll 1d100 belated miss chance #2
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d100 belated miss chance #2 and gets 51."12 [1d100=51]
<Cidward> roll 2d6+6
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 2d6+6 and gets 8."12 [2d6=1, 1]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+17 AoO
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+17 AoO and gets 30."12 [1d20=13]
<Cidward> roll 1d6 cold
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d6 cold and gets 6."12 [1d6=6]
<Cidward> roll 1d4 STR
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d4 STR and gets 1."12 [1d4=1]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 32/72, Nadia: 31/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 29/68 (-1 STR)  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> One attack connects, but Rena overextends herself on another and leaves herself open to a counterattack. The ghostly presence reaches through her, stealing her life essence! Suzume, mustering her courage, moves forward to try and help out her belaguered friends, muttering a prayer as she touches Nadia's shoulder.
<Cidward> roll 3d8+7 cure serious
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 3d8+7 cure serious and gets 20."12 [3d8=8, 3, 2]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 32/72, Nadia: 51/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 29/68 (-1 STR)  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> OOC: Nadia
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, thank you!" Nadia gives Suzume a brief smile, continuing to bob around the ghost with flailing punches and kicks intended more to distract her than to hurt her.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+12 aid for Yomi
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+12 aid for Yomi and gets 29."12 [1d20=17]
<Cidward> OOC: success~ Ghost/Lucia is up
<Cidward> "Know that torment awaits all traitors!" the ghost cries before swinging at Rena again. "Torment to make you wish for death! Surrender to me and I'll be merciful!" OOC: will saves, all within melee range (minus Rena. +1 for fear effects, book doesn't explicitly say this counts as such but I don't see why it wouldn't)
<Cidward> roll 1d20+9 Suzume
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+9 Suzume and gets 26."12 [1d20=17]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+5
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+5 and gets 19."12 [1d20=14]
<Yomi> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6 and gets 11."12 [2d6=6, 5]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+3
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+3 and gets 10."12 [1d20=7]
<Cidward> roll 1d6+3 shaken this many rounds, Nadia only (not your day to make saves, it seems)
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d6+3 shaken this many rounds, Nadia only (not your day to make saves, it seems) and gets 8."12 [1d6=5]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 32/72, Nadia: 51/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 29/68 (-1 STR)  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia (shaken 8 rounds) > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> roll 1d20+17 resolving attack on Rena
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+17 resolving attack on Rena and gets 20."12 [1d20=3]
<Cidward> roll 1d6 cold
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d6 cold and gets 2."12 [1d6=2]
<Cidward> roll 1d4 STR
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d4 STR and gets 4."12 [1d4=4]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 32/72, Nadia: 51/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 27/68 (-5 STR)  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia (shaken 8 rounds) > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> Frost rimes Rena's body where the ghost's arm tears through her, the German grunting in discomfort. Lucia continues pinging away at the creature--her bullets might not harm her, but it's not like the ghost knows that, right?
<Cidward> roll 1d20+12+1 more aiding
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+12+1 more aiding and gets 17."12 [1d20=4]
<Cidward> OOC: Yomi again.
<Yomi> Her pride insists that she destroy the ghost with her rightful sword, the Shishio, but Yomi overrides those instincts, letting it drop and drawing the blade that specializes in destroying such creatures. She stabs it through the transparent woman, almost all the way towards Rena, and then slashes upwards to cut her in two. The follow up comes swiftly, intent on slicing cleanly through its neck!
<Yomi> roll 1d20+15+1+2+2+2
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+15+1+2+2+2 and gets 25."12 [1d20=3]
<Cidward> OOC: hit
<Yomi> roll 1d20+10+1+2
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+10+1+2 and gets 17."12 [1d20=4]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+15+1+2 surge
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+15+1+2 surge and gets 32."12 [1d20=14]
<Cidward> OOC: surge hits. other misses
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 15."12 [2d6=3, 3]
<Yomi> roll 2d6+9
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6+9 and gets 15."12 [2d6=4, 2]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+17 AoO
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+17 AoO  and gets 32."12 [1d20=15]
<Cidward> roll 1d6 cold
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d6 cold and gets 6."12 [1d6=6]
<Cidward> roll 1d4 STR
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d4 STR and gets 3."12 [1d4=3]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 26/72 (-3 STR), Nadia: 51/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 27/68 (-5 STR)  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia (shaken 8 rounds) > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> With a shriek and a final, vindictive swipe at Yomi, the woman dissipates into shreds of ectoplasm in the air. OOC: free act
<Cidward> Lucia finally closes with the rest of the group. "Is it dead? Deader?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, that was horrible!" Nadia shivers and hugs herself, stepping away from the vanished spectre.
* Yomi sheathes the sword in her hands, before picking Shishio up with a heartfelt apology. "It has been purified and allowed to move on."
<Cidward> "Is anyone hurt?" Suzume asks. "I can help, a little..."
<Yomi> "Can you see to Rena?" Yomi requests.
<Erin> "It was surprisingly hardy, for a spirit. I guess it had a lot tying it down here..."
<Cidward> Suzume nods and turns to Rena. "Did it drain your life-force? Some ghosts do that. I can negate the damage. I don't know if I can see to all of you, but I'll try my best."
<Cidward> roll 4d8+7 cure critical Rena, also Restoration
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 4d8+7 cure critical Rena, also Restoration and gets 27."12 [4d8=6, 7, 3, 4]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 26/72 (-3 STR), Nadia: 51/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 54/68  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia (shaken 8 rounds) > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> She pauses after muttering a brief prayer. "Anyone else? I've used most of my best spells...but I'm not out yet!"
<Nadia_Chekova> "I'm okay, just a little cold," Nadia affirms, straightening out her limbs and peering over the edge of the tower.
<Cidward> Nadia's too far up to see the ground from here, just darkness below her. There's a tattered but serviceable-looking cloak on the ground around where the ghost was standing initially.
<Yomi> "I was hit in that last vengeful strike," Yomi acknowledges, though her thoughts are drawn elsewhere. "Humans, huh? Didn't expect to find them here."
<Cidward> Suzume nods, and gives Yomi similar attention.
<Cidward> roll 2d8+7 cure moderate Yomi
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 2d8+7 cure moderate Yomi and gets 15."12 [2d8=4, 4]
<Cidward> roll 1d4 Lesser Restoration
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d4 Lesser Restoration and gets 1."12 [1d4=1]
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 41/72 (-2 STR), Nadia: 51/62, Erin: 39/58 (-2 STR), Rena: 54/68  Erin > Rena > Suzume > Nadia (shaken 8 rounds) > Ghost = Lucia > Yomi'
<Cidward> Yomi feels some of the cold imbued by the ghost's touch melt away. Not all of it, but she definitely feels better now.
<Cidward> Suzume draws a breath, seeming a little tired from her efforts. "Anyone else? Erin, Lucia? I'm not all out yet." She sounds eager to be of help.
<Erin> "I suspect they predate the other natives by some margin," notes Erin. "Ah, you can save it for Yomi," she adds, glancing at Suzume. "I'll be fine."
<Yomi> "So you're thinking they made the buildings and lived here, and then the demons arrived and took it over?" she asks Erin. "Was the language the specter was speaking the same as the demon language? Or similar to what the writing is in?"
<Cidward> "Huh. Didn't find any of them when we looked around before," Lucia says as she gestures Suzume over for some healing. "Seems weird, doesn't it?"
<Cidward> roll 1d8+5 cure light Lucia
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d8+5 cure light Lucia and gets 6."12 [1d8=1]
<Nadia_Chekova> "Did she say anything interesting?" Nadia asks Erin, going to pick up the cloak for a look.
<Erin> "It's different," replies Erin, shaking her head. "Nothing beyond threats. She truly thought we were her soldiers."
<Cidward> The cloak is brown and red, in an irregular, splotchy pattern. The fabric feels heavy, and slightly warm to the touch. The insignia of the pin is notably more ornate than the others found.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Look," Nadia shines her torch over the insignia. "Like those pins downstairs, but fancier."
<Cidward> "Huh. Soldiers," Lucia says. "You ask me, they're all a little insane."
<Yomi> "Maybe humans were the ones who fought the demons here in the distant past," Yomi muses.
<Erin> "It's obvious this is military insigniture," suggests Erin. "I don't think there's anything else up here."
* Nadia_Chekova tosses the cloak over her shoulders to save her arms from carrying it.
<Cidward> "Then let's head back down before you find more ghosts to fight," Lucia grumbles, descending.
<Erin> Since there doesn't seem to be anything else aroudn this tower, Erin would take the train back to the transit station.
* Nadia_Chekova follows the crowd with her pleasantly warm cloak making her feel a lot better about being in such a cold place.
<Cidward> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d100 and gets 49."12 [1d100=49]
<Cidward> An uneventful journey sees you back at the central station. Rena seems to notice Nadia's improved mood along the way and sits next to her to leech warmth.
<Erin> From there it shouldn't be a long trip back to the transportation pad!
<Cidward> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d100 and gets 84."12 [1d100=84]
<Cidward> Indeed it isn't! Soon enough you're back at the platform, ready to leave for sunny skies again.
<Erin> It's just some held hands and a magic word to transport them all back to the not-as-forbidden-as-advertised palace!
<Cidward> With the usual lack of fanfare, you appear in an obscure corner of the museum, fortunately without anyone to witness your emergence.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+18 Nadia will disguise herself as Natsu once more
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+18 Nadia will disguise herself as Natsu once more and gets 22."12 [1d20=4]
<Erin> For their trek back to Japan, Erin is convinced by her comrade's actions to undertake a cunning disguise for herself, and opts to become another Japanese man of indeterminate age, average height, but sporting long, shiny black hair.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+18 aid for Yomi
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+18 aid for Yomi and gets 22."12 [1d20=4]
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+18 aid for Rena
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+18 aid for Rena and gets 27."12 [1d20=9]
<Yomi> roll 1d20+4 disguise!
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20+4 disguise! and gets 8."12 [1d20=4]
<Cidward> roll 1d20+4+2 Rena disguisery!
* Hatbot --> "Cidward rolls 1d20+4+2 Rena disguisery! and gets 26."12 [1d20=20]
<Erin> roll 1d20+11 i can has magic
<Yomi> roll 2d6 Ah, Rena
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+11 i can has magic and gets 22."12 [1d20=11]
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6 Ah, Rena and gets 6."12 [2d6=5, 1]
* Yomi intends to go as a humble schoolgirl, with a magical tattoo in place for the occasion she needs to turn her disguise up a notch.
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 72/72 , Nadia: 62/62, Erin: 58/58, Rena: 68/68 '
* Cidward changes topic to '6Yomi: 72/72, Nadia: 62/62, Erin: 58/58, Rena: 68/68'
<Cidward> It takes a couple days for the group to rest up, make their way to the coast, and hop a boat back to Japan. Everyone feels fully refreshed by they time they see the land of the rising sun again, winding up in a town on the west coast named Fukuoka, everyone with disguises just in case pesky ninjas happen to be about. With some assistance from Nadia, Rena undergoes a dramatic transformation from beautiful German bombshell to beautiful Japanese bombshell. Truly a striking transition.
<Cidward> Rena fiddles with her wig as you step ashore. "This straight hair is much easier to control than my own," she notes.
<Yomi> "Having straight hair is pretty nice," Yomi agrees. "Don't you like the way it trails after you when you move?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "But so lifeless," Nadia replies, preferring her own dyed black hair to the false follicles of a wig. "And don't fidget or you'll give it away."
<Cidward> Rena shakes her head experimentally (remembering to keep a hand on it to keep it in place when Nadia reminds her). "Yes," she says in agreement.
<Erin> "Suzume, do you want to head home right away?" asks Erin, glancing at their still-newish friend.
<Cidward> Suzume looks at the ground, fidgeting a little. "Well, I, I should probably get it over with before I turn and run...Is there something else you wanted to do?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Not in this country, no," Nadia replies with an elegant shrug.
<Yomi> "There's no reason to delay it," Yomi tells Suzume firmly. "It won't help with your resolve one bit. Just be strong and believe in yourself!"
<Erin> "Yes, but let's not delay for my sake. This is more important."
<Cidward> "Alright, but...what do I do? Just walk in the door? I haven't seen them for two years! I never even wrote or anything!"
* Yomi shrugs. "You couldn't, being spirited away, now could you?" She takes Suzume's hand and starts walking. "Where to? I'll just be running in circles on my own."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Just go in and act natural, like you just came back from shopping," Nadia suggests helpfully, not actually having any relevant experience to call upon here but having found in her life that people tend to go with the flow she sets when acting as if she belongs somewhere and there's no need to question her.
<Cidward> "If you say so. I just don't know...but let's go." Suzume leads the group to a nondescript, single-storey house along a quiet, sloping backstreet. "Is anyone coming with me? Am I going in alone? Maybe I should go in alone. I haven't seen them in all this time, what would they think if I brought strangers home with me? Not that you're strangers to me, but you know, you would be to them, and--" She cuts herself off, almost hyperventilating.
<Nadia_Chekova> "It's probably best not to drag in a bunch of strangers for a touching family reunion," Nadia suggests. "But just yell if you need us!"
<Erin> "Just one might be appropriate, as in, the kindly stranger who helped you get home," suggests Erin.
* Yomi pats Suzume's back lightly. "It's up to you. But first, you need to take the first step and knock."
<Cidward> She nods. "Alright. Well, who would go? I guess I would have to choose someone. I don't know if I could--no, no, enough talking. I have to go in and get this over with!" She walks to the front door, knocks timidly, then with more conviction. She turns and casts a glance back at you as she waits, as if to be reassured you're still there.
* Nadia_Chekova smiles gamely at Suzume.
* Yomi gives her a wave!
<Erin> Erin is there with a thumbs-up for luck!
<Cidward> The door opens. A middle-aged man in old-fashioned dress opens it, pauses while his eyes go wide with obvious shock, calls back inside. A woman appears next to him, gasps, hugs Suzume. She's soon led inside, staring at the floor the whole time.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Looks like she'll be fine," Nadia nods happily.
* Yomi doesn't quite believe that, but resolves to wait.
<Erin> "Hope so!"
<Cidward> You wait. You don't hear raised voices or anything disturbing from inside, so that's a good sign. She's in there for quite a while, though...seems like an hour before the door opens again. Suzume walks out alone. Her face is flushed and moist from tears.
<Yomi> "Did they understand?" Yomi asks, trying to be optimistic.
<Cidward> "Well, they--I think they believe I am a little crazy," she says, rubbing her eyes. "But they are not asking too many questions or pressing much because they're glad I'm alive. I told them I have to leave again, but they asked me to at least stay here tonight. I couldn't say no. I'm sure they will ask me to stay again in the morning, but I will deal with that then."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Do what makes you happy," Nadia suggests. "We can find a place to stay for the night and meet you tomorrow, in that case."
<Erin> "We might be in Japan for a few days, so we could meet up again once we're finished," suggests Erin.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Or that," Nadia shrugs.
<Yomi> "If that's really what you want," Yomi adds her own opinion. "I'll be nearby just in case. I can forego sleep for a night."
<Cidward> She nods. "Thank you for everything, everyone. I mean it, I don't know where I'd be without you. Well, I do know where I'd be..." She shakes her head. "What other business do you have to take care of?"
<Erin> "There's a gate to one of those otherworlds that I want to visit again, now that I'm able to speak to the denizens there," replies Erin. "I think that's all."
<Cidward> Another nod. "I hope no one back at the village has caused problems. Master--Kurou left them with orders to treat visitors harshly."
<Erin> "Nowhere would stay untouched forever," replies Erin, edgily. "Something will need to be done about that."
<Yomi> "I'll use the chance to contact the Tsuchimiya, anonymously, of course. They should be able to keep an eye on things, if the demons get unruly."
<Cidward> "Who?" Suzume asks.
<Yomi> "A demon-hunting clan. As soon as one knows, the rest would soon learn, so it's as good a start as any."
<Cidward> "Ah. I wouldn't want everyone there to be killed...most of them are just doing as they're told because Kurou kept them safe for a long time."
<Yomi> "It should be alright!" Yomi insists. "As long as they stay in the village and don't attack people."
<Erin> "Might the demon-hunters be overzealous?"
<Cidward> "I hope not. I wouldn't want to be responsible for everyone being killed!"
<Yomi> "They will certainly have zeal, but no one gets through the training without acquiring a certain deal of common sense. If you think they'll try to assault a defensible village with many strong demons just because they're there and not hurting anyone, I'll disagree."
<Erin> "Ah, sorry. If you say so, then it's fine," replies Erin, raising a placating hand.
<Cidward> ~