Beauty & The Beast

[Brian]

N'dovu grunts, but does not stagger, and still holds onto his staff.  "The trial is endured, spirit," he says in Zulu.  "Now I beseech thee; I must speak with King Shaka, for I seek the guidance and wisdom that only spirits can offer."

[Carthrat]

The spirit stops short, its apparent rage subsiding slightly. It doesn't seem to be paying much attention to what N'Dovu is saying, however.

You strike with no weapon, mortal.
        You draw no sword of the umbra.
                   You wield no lightning of the nether-realm.
Yet you have brought me to this place. Are you not like the other mortals I encounter?

[Brian]

N'dovu hesitates, choosing his words with care.  "One who approaches with respect will learn more than one who approaches in anger.  The weapon is carried as a token of respect for your strength, spirit, not to be used against you.  What would fighting a spirit accomplish?  Should we as well douse our own memories, extinguish the sparks of the past that call to us to learn what once was, to try and make it anew?

"No, Spirit.  I approach you in respect, and beseech your assistance."  N'dovu finishes this somewhat long-winded speech and wobbles unsteadily, his peripheral vision now nearly entiely devoured by a slowly whirling mass of jagged gray.

[Carthrat]

The spirit continues to rasp, but you'd swear its tone is shifting more and more to one surprised.

I see, that you are no Spirit-Hunter.
     Spirit-Seeker, you shall be called by.
                 I know not of this King Shaka.
           Only the fellow Gaian spirits are known to me.
      And Spirit-Hunters seek to bind them.
                 Contact me again soon, Spirit-Seeker.
             I will have words with you in a place of greater attunement.
This place is dulling to the senses.

[Brian]

N'dovu grimaces, but nods.  "As the spirits will it," he says, commiting the details of the spirit's speech to memory before it vanishes.

[Carthrat]

The spirit flares up, looking for all the world like it's going to consume the room in its entirety, before dissapating into motes of red.

N'Dovu's vision begins to clear- which is odd, because with a dose of peyote that large, he should've been out of it for a far longer period of time.

[Brian]

N'dovu grimaces, and wonders where he's going to get the materials for the next question ... but then realized he already knows the answer.   It's time to return to the Cahuilla people.

Turning around, N'dovu looks for Angela and Kyle, his peripheral vision slowly returning.

[Carthrat]

Angela is nowhere to be seen. Kyle is, however, and he's shaking his head at a computer screen, with a baffled look on his face.

Most of the room looks trashed, like a bunch of kids got loose in it. There's also a couple of scorch marks on the floor, and there's paper and smashed glass everywhere. Kyle, miraculously, looks unharmed by it all.

[Brian]

N'dovu shrugs his shoulders uncomfortably, and coughs.  "And now ... your machine has learned from all of this?" he asks Kyle.

[Carthrat]

Kyle pauses for a moment, then shakes his head.

"It's completely ruined," he replies. "We didn't gain any hard data from this. Don't worry, you'll still get your money."

[Brian]

N'dovu grunts, and shakes his head.  "The spirits are not always easy to communicate with," he broods.  Shrugging, he offers Kyle a restrained smile (showing no teeth).  "Perhaps ... next time, then."

[Carthrat]

"You can collect the money from the receptionist," says Kyle, starting to head to the door. "We'll call you when we want you again."

[Brian]

N'dovu nods, and says nothing further, heading towards the elevator, the receptionist, and (one hopes) the money.

[Carthrat]

The receptionist produces a couple of stuffed-full envelopes as N'Dovu approaches, quickly handing them over and avoiding meeting his eyes.

OOC: Free reign to go wherever you want, N'Dovu.

[Brian]

N'dovu takes the envelopes and stuffs them into his shirt, and then goes straight home to think about things.

Once there, he contemplates the possibilities.  On the one hand, it'd be simple (it seems) to convince Angela and Kyle to make another appointment.  On the other hand, he hadn't seen King Shaka, and was told to make contact somewhere else.

N'dovu imagined this meant somewhere closer to nature, or at least the spirit of fire.  The first thing to come to mind when thinking about fire, of course, was the desert.

After thinking about this for a while, N'dovu puts a letter together in his head; another message to Rick.  But before he puts it to paper, he dozes off.