Y(et)A(nother)D(estiny's)O(ff)D(ay). (YADOD)

[Carthrat]

<C-Rat> <->
[22:08] <C-Rat> Nightmares assail you in your sleep. (It would be unusual for them to at any other time, of course.) With surprisingly clarity, you witness strange, sometimes wonderful, frequently terrible sights. Is it something you drank? Something you did? But you see... cataclysmic stars, bursting with fire... a lone globe hurtling through space... bloodstained forests darkening under iron grip... bodies piled up, one after another... and they fade, after a time, as wakefulness approches. (More.)
[22:10] <C-Rat> and they fade, after a time, as wakefulness approches. (More.)
[22:12] <C-Rat> Sleep releases it's tender grip on you, and blearily, your eyes open. Senses flood back into your body, but something is very wrong. You are utterly positive that, when last you checked, you didn't fall asleep in a... planetarium? The stars light up the roof above you, a beautiful sight. More beautiful than the hard floor you're lying on, certainly. It's not cold, even with a lack of blankets, and you find yourself fully clothed.
[22:17] * Bean blinks, sitting up and trying to get his bearings. "I don't have a skylight..." he murmurs, checking the clothes, they don't seem to be his, either. Blue jeans, loose, but not baggy, enough to move freely in, oversize black t-shirt and a grey duster, with snug running shoes cast in black, and black, fingerless gloves. "Huh. I look like a reject from a fighting game for the PS2."
[22:20] <C-Rat> Now that you're sitting up, you can get a much better look around you. You quickly discern that you are apparently in a room with no exits on entries; the 'sky', whilst fairly convincing, is clearly a solid roof with inspection, and most of the room is a featureless, empty space. The room is spherical, with black walls (also with stars on them). The only remarkable features of the room is what looks to be some kind of octagonal table in the centre with a glass ball on it, and across the room from you, another sleepy-looking figure, dressed in a black shirt, sharply-cut white jacket, and black trousers. You can hear a low, whirring noise that sounds like it's coming from beneath the floor.
[22:23] <C-Rat>  Now that you're sitting up, you can get a much better look around you. You quickly discern that you are apparently in a room with no exits on entries; the 'sky', whilst fairly convincing, is clearly a solid roof with inspection, and most of the room is a featureless, empty space.
[22:23] <C-Rat> The room is spherical, with black walls (also with stars on them). The only remarkable features of the room is what looks to be some kind of octagonal table in the centre with a glass ball on it, and across the room from you, another sleepy-looking figure, dressed in a black shirt, sharply-cut white jacket, and black trousers. You can hear a low, whirring noise that sounds like it's coming from beneath the floor.
[22:25] * Bean approaches the table, the glass ball catching his attention first, and begins to examine it.
[22:27] <C-Rat> The ball is transclucent, and perfectly smooth. It's set into the table, which you now see has two pictures drawn into it; on the side facing you, there's an image of an angel. On the side opposite you, there's an image of some kind of demon. The man across the room from you has stood up, and is saying something- but you can't hear any words at all.
[22:31] * Bean looks up, the motion catching his eye, but frowns and shakes his head as he can't hear a thing. Instead of dwelling on this, Bean tries to listen to the noise coming from below the floor as he examines the room for doors...or an escape hatch, or something.
[22:32] <C-Rat> You can't find anything right away. When you try to cross the room to reach the other mans half, though, you discover a completely transparent wall is between you. The man is pressing against, then throwing himself shoulder-first against it, but all he has to show for it is a sore shoulder. Nothing even shows up on the 'wall'.
[22:34] <C-Rat> A flicker of motion from the crystal ball catches your attention, followed by a soft voice in your head... "So... 'Bean'. I must say, I'm irritated to have to drag you into this, but He saw your.. game, and he thought it was so funny, he determined the terms for this contest. Blast! If only his turn had been in the last age..."
[22:36] <Bean> "Wait...what?" Bean says aloud, frowning. The sound seems to come from all around, inside and out, so he decides not to waste time looking. "Hold up a bit and clarify some, will you?" he asks, glancing at the other man, past the wall.
[22:37] <C-Rat> "It's simple, really," replies the voice in your mind. The crystal ball continues to flicker, and the other man is gazing into intently- a look of horror coming across his face. "We can skip the perliminaries, can't we? This is such a bore to explain. My name is Order. I am what you mortals would call.. a Cosmic Force. God. Whatever. You managed to pin me down perfectly in that stupid game of yours, didn't you? DoD? Destiny's Off Day? Hah! Destiny hasn't been around since the Roman Empire. Lousy bitch..."
[22:40] <Bean> "..." Bean rubs his forehead and sighs. "I just knew that game would come back to haunt me." he mutters. "Somehow. So, I guess we can hurry through the routine, then. No, this isn't a dream, I'm going to have to play this one, instead of running things, and the same general idea is in place? Have I covered all the salient points?"
[22:41] <C-Rat> "Oh, basically. I suppose I should explain to you exactly what you have to do, and all that," replies Order. "Look. You got some of the points right, but you got some wrong, too, so here it is. Me and my moronic brother, Chaos, have a competition every millenium to determine the Fate of the Universe. Or, more accurately, if it will be guarded along the lines of Chaos or Order."
[22:41] <C-Rat> (More.)
[22:42] <C-Rat> "We alternate what the contest is. We've done everything by now, and let me tell you, every time he wins, he makes a mess of things. Bloody killed off all the dinosaurs, invented gambling,
[22:42] <C-Rat> (Bleh. More!)
[22:44] <C-Rat> ", fucked up early humans.. he's not a fun guy to work with. Anyway, he saw your.. game." There's a harsh note in her voice at that. "So, the contest he decided on was that he'd drag both the.. originators from it and have them duke it out."
[22:44] <C-Rat> (Your turn!)
[22:45] <Bean> "Well, that explains why I'm here, instead of a Navy SEAL, or something." Bean frowned. "Almost a punishment, really."
[22:48] <C-Rat> "Quite. He's determined the battleground to be popular human media. Here's the deal. You and your.. friend over there-" the man has collapsed to his knees and is clutching his head, looking like he's screaming- "will both be.. ported into some of the personas that you want to identify with. The worlds in which these personas exist will then.. clash."
[22:49] <C-Rat> "Within each of these worlds- 4 in total- lies a.. god, he loves dramatic names- "Glorious Anthem Seal". You must find these seals before your opponent, there. Once all seals have been accounted for, you'll both have one, final duel to determine universal fate."
[22:51] <Bean> "Uhm. Since you were kind enough to dispense with an hour of exposition, I'll return the favor and dispense with the bargaining, and assume I have no choice. Though, a little more detail would be appreciated. Entire worlds will clash? Is this to be leading armies, or covert, spy-like missions?"
[22:54] <C-Rat> "A bit of both. I don't know most of the details. It's.. kind of random, seeing as it's his turn," spits out Order. "The clashing of worlds will be.. localized, however. As far as armies and such go.. that's really up to you and.. what's left of him," she says, referring to the now-laughing-maniaclly figure on the other side of the wall.
[22:55] <C-Rat> "All that matters is the Seal. The first one between you to touch the Seal will claim it. Events will tend to gravitate to them, so it shouldn't take you more than a week or so to find any one. They're.. quite obvious, when you see them."
[22:55] <C-Rat> "Even your dead body will do, by the way. If you die, you'll just be returned here, where you'll wait until the Seal has been resolved."
[22:56] * Bean blinks, looking at the other guy, and recoiling a bit. "WHat's wrong with him?"
[22:57] <C-Rat> "Chaos is not above twisting the minds of those who work for him," replies Order, dryly. "He might have been your friend once- after all, you *did* work on the game together, didn't you? But he's just a mortal. If Chaos wants to play with his head, there's not really anything he can do about it."
[22:57] <C-Rat> "It's easy for him to inspire madness in people. Concrete goals... he can only rely on his words. I think he got the effect he wanted, though."
[22:59] <Bean> "I hope you're not going to give me a long speech about how humanity depends on me, and all that, because I'll do my best, but odds of sucess are nowhere near certain." Bean observes. "And again. What's wrong with him?"
[23:01] <C-Rat> "What's wrong with him? Do you want to know exactly? I can't tell you. I don't know what Chaos did to him. I just know that he's definately insane, he probably hates you, and he wants nothing more than to recklessly seek out each of the Seals to gain strength."
[23:01] <C-Rat> *likely wants nothing more...
[23:04] <Bean> "You're just full of good news, aren't you?" Bean replies sourly. "Any more pep talk...Scratch that, I don't really want to find out. So, to recap. Find the seals, take them, and beat the daylights out of Carthrat, over there?" Bean asked, taking a stab at the last part. But really, if it was a co-creator of DoD, who else could it be?
[23:06] <C-Rat> "Exactly," replies Order. "The Seals... if you have them, I can lend you strength. But the same applies for them. If you find the first one, you have a better chance of finding the second.. and so on. Don't worry. Your life isn't directly at stake.. no matter the outcome, you'll be returned to Earth. He will be, too... and likely locked up in an institution, somewhere."
[23:10] <Bean> "I'm not convinced that the other guy didn't pull him from one." Bean remarked unnecessarily. "All right. Is there something to guide me to them, or at least a reasonably good photo?"
[23:12] <C-Rat> Order pauses. "Look for the centre of the clash. The seal could be in a person, or in some object. If you want to find it... look for trouble. You can't miss it. It'll be glowing and have obvious pointers to it and stuff. If you still can't get it, just find and follow him. It's almost time to send you off, anyway. God, I'm thankful. I need a cigarette."
[23:13] <Bean> "It's going to be in some girl's tits, I just know it." Bean grumbles.
[23:14] <C-Rat> "Whatever. Have fun. Not many people get to be heroes, and all that crap," says Order. "I'm going now. When you get back here, I'll talk to you more."
[23:15] <Bean> "Swell." Bean replies, not all that enthused about a needle in a haystack hunt.
[23:28] <C-Rat> The crystal ball at the centre of the room suddenly flares white, and your vision whites out...
[23:28] <C-Rat> <->
[23:30] <C-Rat> ...and reforms back into the shape of a mostly empty classroom. A blue-haired girl is saying something, but you can't hear it, because you're busy cleaning the blackboard. Eventually, Kaname shuts up, and storms out of the room, leaving you alone to.. clean it up.
[23:30] <C-Rat> And it's a bit of a mess. Looks like someone had a brawl, here. Tables everywhere, books on the floor, chairs broken...
[23:32] <Bean> "Hooboy." Bean murmurs to himself. "And now, with that Sam Becket moment over, where the hell am I?" he wonders, looking around the room for a clue as to where in the canon he might have ended up.
[23:34] <C-Rat> It's impossible to tell. He can hear a voice shouting back from the hallway, though- "And you'd better be finished in an hour! I'm not hanging around waiting for you longer than that!"
[23:35] <Bean> "Right, right..." Bean murmurs, getting to work. This is relatively simple work, considering, and it frees up time to think about what to do about the seals.
[23:37] <C-Rat> Nothing springs to mind right away. The room is soon cleared up in good order; the stuff that's beyond repair neatly stashed away in a corner, with the rest of the room looking.. fairly boring and typical, really.
[23:37] <C-Rat> Chidori re-enters the room, and looks you up and down, then nods at the room in satisfaction. "At least you do what you're told.. some of the time," she says, cheerily. "Well, let's go!"
[23:38] <Bean> That done, Bean sweeps a quick look around the room and on his person for weapons. Not because he needs them just yet, but because having them is cool. Also, he should have a bag hereabouts, if this is his class.
[23:40] <C-Rat> A quick inspection of his person reveals that Bean has.. many weapons. For every conceivable situation, if not in his.. what, shirt? then in his bag. Why, if a helicopter were to crash down through the roof and start withering the surroundings with strafing fire, he'd have the *exact* tools for the job!
[23:43] <Bean> "Mwahaha." Bean grins, feeling a little more confident about keeping his ass in one piece. True, he may not be a pro, but between a body designed for their use, and an eagerness to learn, competence should be at least within his grasp. Picking up the satchel, he exits the room, resisting the urge to hum, and keeping his eyes peeled, for things that don't belong in a Full Metal Panic setting.
[23:44] <C-Rat> "Huh? Did you just... laugh?" asks Chidori, eyeing Sousuke as she leads him out of the school.
[23:45] <C-Rat> "Huh? Did you just... laugh?" asks Chidori, eyeing Sousuke as she leads him out of the school.
[23:47] <Bean> "No." Bean replied blandly. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
[23:49] <C-Rat> "Right," replies Chidori, leading Sousuke into a shopping district. "You know, I've been thinking... it was the last day of semester today. We really should do something.."
[23:50] <Bean> Bean eyed Chidori curiously. "Did you have something in mind, Chidori?"
[23:51] <C-Rat> "Maybe," replies Chidori, looking away. "But are you.. um, are you doing anything tonight?" It's practically a rhetorical question, knowing Sousuke, but she doesn't immediately go on...
[23:54] <Bean> "No..." Bean ponders that for a moment, wondering...*Ah, hell, just go with it for now.* While he waits for the girl to elaborate, he scans the shopping center, looking for discordant elements in the setting. He could get away with this, right? After all, he was supposed to be her bodyguard.
[23:55] <C-Rat> "Oh. Well, then... can we meet at the park? On top of the hill... there's something I want to tell you, there. Something important." Chidori looks away. "Just promise me you'll be there. Don't get caught up in anything, ok? If you do, I'll hate you forever."
[23:57] <Bean> "Wait, what?" Bean blinks. "That's a bit extreme..." he mutters, slightly alarmed. "You know things tend to happen that Sousuke can't....I mean, I can't control..."
[23:57] <C-Rat> "Extreme? You mean.. you won't come?" says Chidori, giving Sousuke the Frightened Eyes.
[23:59] <Bean> "No, no...not that..." Bean assures quickly. "I meant the hating forever bit."
[00:00] <C-Rat> "Well, if you come, you won't need to worry, will you?" says Chidori, sternly. "I'll be counting on it!" With that, she turns around and runs off into a crowd (presumably to get back home).
[00:00] <Bean> OOC- Changing nick to Be Makoto in SM Game.
[00:00] * Bean is now known as Makoto
[00:02] <Makoto> "Whhhaaaa?" Bean rubs his forehead. "Sure...touch down into the middle of a 'moment'. Swell." Sighing, he realizes something. "WHAT PARK??"  
[00:02] <C-Rat> "W
[00:04] <C-Rat> "What, locally? Probably that one over there," says some student from school, pointing down the street to where a slight edge of green can be seen. "Closest one to school, it is."
[00:05] <C-Rat> OOC- Actually, let's pause here.

[Carthrat]

[23:42] <Bean> "...Thank you." Bean replies, abruptly tearing off in the direction of the park to fix it's location in his mind, and wondering how to tell the original inhabitant of his body that he really needed to be here, later.
[23:44] <C-Rat> It's not hard to find the park, and it's kind nice; a little urban forest. It's fairly big, but there's a sizable hill in the centre of it that's visible from the outside, and a path going through it. A couple are walking along it- hey, that's Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki. Wonder how that happened.
[23:45] * Bean chokes. "Holy shit..." Bean gripes, checking for his guns. "Mental note, shoot to kill. Except Ukyo. Or Ranma."
[23:46] <C-Rat> Bean has many guns, though Akane and Ryoga aren't doing anything overtly hostile at the moment.
[23:49] <Bean> Backing out of the park rapidly, Bean pauses to make sure he remembers where the park is, then frowns to himself. "Wait, one of them could be...Well, I can't just start tying people up. Somesort of newtype flash would have been helpful, Order." He growls, meandering down the street, thinking on what to do next.
[23:50] <C-Rat> Order is not forthcoming, though Bean can now see (male) Ranma pacing down the street, looking mildly steamed. He's heading towards the park as well, and it looks like he's going to see the couple annnnnnnnny-second now.
[23:52] * Bean decides to observe the confrontation quietly, and doubles back at a safe distance. Even though there was no way to tell if everyone would be In character in this fucked up world.
[23:56] <C-Rat> Wait. Before he gets there, you here Issei announcing his presence behind you. "Saotome Ranma!" he shouts out, vaulting over you and running towards the young fighter. Ranma stops, blinking, and he starts talking to Issei (you can't hear exactly what's being said, but it sounds like they're old friends).
[23:57] <Bean> "Ooohhhhkay." Bean frowns, easing back into cover, and projecting 'don't notice me' thoughts. He supposed he might just be getting massively distracted, but this WAS his best lead, so far.
[23:59] <C-Rat> And perhaps his only one. Shortly, Ranma and Issei are engrossed in conversation, and Ryoga and Akane have just sighted him. However, Ranma and Issei have turned about and started walking the other way- perhaps to take shelter from the clouds above, which are gathering at a rather fast rate.
Session Time: Tue Jun 14 00:00:00 2005
[00:01] <Bean> Disappointed that there's not to be a confrontation, but unwilling to reveal himself just yet, Bean focuses on the young couple, since that seems to be the highest potential for fireworks, with rain headed in.
[00:03] <C-Rat> Akane and Ryoga have stopped for a moment, but seemed to be having a slight argument. Listening closely, you can hear that it's about where to go- Akane would rather 'keep an eye on Ranma', while Ryoga wants to just leave. Akane seems to win out, though, dragging Ryoga after the two- who have entered a small cafe.
[00:06] <Bean> Getting more and more confused, Bean follows Ryoga and Akane, slowly, just barely keeping them in sight. *Curiouser and curiouser. I wonder if there are even curses?*
[00:08] <C-Rat> Apparently, given by the rush Ryoga is to get into a cafe on the opposite side of the street. Akane looks.. a little glum, really. You can't see either group, now, but you figure they can see each other.
[00:10] <Bean> Taking up a position leaning against a building, Bean opens his uniform jacket enough to be able to reach one of the guns secreted inside, and the throwing knives in his sleeves. *Sagara, you are truly the man.* And watches the doors of both cafes, waiting...
[00:12] <C-Rat> Predictably, it starts to rain. The rain is kinda heavy, too, and it must really suck to be outside right now.
[00:14] <C-Rat> A few minutes later, Sousuke is witness to a near-deadly car accident. One car was changing lanes, and another, speeding car swerved and breaked heavily to get out the way- sending a splash of water into the cafe that Ranma had entered.
[00:15] <Bean> Fortunately, the body of Souske Sagara is well suited to weathering elements. Still, water in his weapons is probably bad. Bean glances around for awnings or bus stops nearby before making a choice to shelter himself or...Hey! Moving Quickly, Bean puts himself into view to check the results of that saort of thing.
[00:16] <C-Rat> As to be expected, really. Ranma is now a buxom young girl, and Issei is fiddling for his glasses. Those brightly glowing yellow ones, which you swear have seraphic symbols on the pieces.
[00:19] <Bean> THAT gets Beans attention, and his gun comes out, but held closely against his leg to avoid easy discovery. "What the fuck?" Bean murmurs, ducking back out of sight. "The seal? This early?"
[00:20] <C-Rat> Ryoga is now storming across the street, umbrella up against the rain. "Prepare to die!" he shouts- moving with a determined pace.
[00:22] <Bean> Frowning, Bean resists the urge to shoot the pompous asshole. Ranma can handle him. It's Issei's glasses that interest him at the moment.
[00:23] <C-Rat> Ranma turns up and wearily turns around, but Ryoga shakes his head. "Get out my way, Ranma. I'm not interested in you, today," he says, eyeing Issei, who is looking at Ryoga, curiously.
[00:23] <C-Rat> Ranma frowns at that, but Issei puts a hand on his shoulder, says something, and Ranma sits back down, now looking equally curious.
[00:25] * Bean gets closer, trying to hear. This is new.
[00:26] <C-Rat> Death is in Ryoga's eyes, apparently. "You.. I don't know your name, but you've done something that cannot be forgiven!" he announces. "For that, you must pay!" Issei, for his part, looks nonchalant. "If it's a fight you want, I'll give it to you!" he says (not bothered at all by the flashiness of his glasses.)
[00:27] <C-Rat> Akane has come out the cafe, now, and watching what's going on.
[00:28] * Bean decides to wait and see what happens. This is too confusing to dive into the middle of, but Kaname would be disappointed if he didn't bail Issei out, if he got in trouble.
[00:30] <C-Rat> The apparently supernatural rain is starting to abait, and Ryoga snarls, lashing out to kick Issei and instigating a fight right in the middle of the cafe, which goes from 'kinda nice' to 'trashed' at Mach 3.
[00:30] * Ana-away (~spatulalo@ip68-10-129-226.hr.hr.cox.net) has joined #dunes
[00:30] <C-Rat> They seems to be evenly matched, but nobody has busted out super attack moves, yet.
[00:30] * Ana-away is now known as Anastasia
[00:30] * ChanServ sets mode: +o Anastasia
[00:31] <Bean> Bean glances around to make sure the civilians have cleared out, thinking that if that isn't the seal, and he doesn't have to kill anyone, this will all be a big waste.
[00:32] <C-Rat> The civilians emptied the place pretty fast at the 'prepare to die' statement. Ranma is sitting at a miraculously untouched table, and Akane is walking across the street to join him.
[00:34] * Bean watches intently urging something to 'happen, already.'
[00:35] <C-Rat> After a brutal melee, Ryoga is thrown out onto the street (where it is no longer raining). Akane rushes to his side, checking on him, talking to him...
[00:36] * Bean frowns. Excellent entertainment, but hardly what he's looking for. Hesitating a moment more, Bean prepares to leave, and chase down other clues, and get out of this body before the 'Appointment' tonight.
[00:37] <C-Rat> Ryoga stands up, and announces, "Haha! I know your weakness now, fool! Without your glasses, you'll be blind as a bat!" He goes after Issei again (who has exited the cafe), and soon the two are at it again- except Ryoga is going after the glasses continuously, now. Apparently, nobody else noticed the glowing symbols on them.
[00:39] <Bean> Bean frowns, watching a bit more, then turning and heading down the street, away from the ruckus. Standard stuff, really. And if he needs to track down the glasses again, he knows who has them.
[00:40] <C-Rat> The sounds of battle dim behind you, and soon you turn a corner.
[00:40] <C-Rat> A few minutes later, you black out, and are now standing back in planetarium.
[00:41] <C-Rat> Carthrat is standing across the room, dressed as he was before, looking gleeful.
[00:48] * Anastasia (~spatulalo@ip68-10-129-226.hr.hr.cox.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 265 seconds)
[00:49] <Bean> "Huh. Figures." Bean gripes. "Relatively painless, at least."
[00:49] * Anastasia (~spatulalo@ip68-10-129-226.hr.hr.cox.net) has joined #dunes
[00:50] <C-Rat> "Briiiiiiiiiiiiliant," says Order (in your mind again). "I knew I should've picked that Kwok guy."
[00:51] <Bean> "By all means." Bean invites. "Better yet, try for someone FUCKING PSYCHIC. Jesus."
[00:53] * ChanServ sets mode: +o Anastasia
[00:55] <C-Rat> "I'll try. In the next thousand years," promises Order. "The only time you have to worry about is the next Seal, which *will* be glowing yellow and *will* have Seraphic symbols on it. Sorry for not mentioning the first time, because I didn't know what form they'd take."
[00:57] * Merc is now known as Ami-chan
[00:58] <Bean> Bean sweatdrops. "Yes, that would have been helpful. especially considering I've seen glasses like that before." Bean sighed. "If you have anything else to tell me, now would be the time. Like, those glasses. He's going to be able to find me no matter who I am, now, isn't he?"
[01:00] <C-Rat> "Something related to vision, at any rate," replies Order. "I think.. yes, he will take those glasses into the next world with him- but you will be able to detect them if you see them in the open. I can't say what effect they'll have.. perhaps you could steal them."
[01:02] <Bean> "That means he can also steal whatever I pick up, though." Bean frowns.
[01:04] <C-Rat> "Yes. You will need to be careful. Remember! Once someone touches the Seal of a world, you are both transported out- leaving any Seals that have been.. say, dropped... behind."
[01:05] <C-Rat> You can practically hear Order stamping her foot. "This task was designed by Chaos, and is as such somewhat.. morphic. New variables may appear, and old things may leave. I will try to keep you updated between hunts."
[01:05] <C-Rat> "I had not anticipated that this would be possible- but I suspect he did not, either, knowing him."
[01:07] <Bean> "Right." Bean frowns, resisting the urge to comment that, for order, this lady is not particularly together.
[01:08] * Queen_Serenity (~queen@cpe-68-203-171-59.houston.res.rr.com) has joined #dunes
[01:08] * ChanServ sets mode: +v Queen_Serenity
[01:09] <C-Rat> "Away with you, then. Good luck," says Order, and you feel yourself fading out, again...
[01:10] <C-Rat> OOC: Wait, axe that line.
[01:11] <C-Rat> "Do you have any queries? It is difficult for me to see anything beyond the basic nature of this contest, as desperately as I might wish too."
[01:12] <Bean> Bean frowns. "Maybe. I assume I have to duck the authorities, if I kill someone. But, what about ability? Am I going to muddle along with my own skills, or do I get to borrow more than the body?"
[01:14] <C-Rat> "You shall inherit the majority of the skills relevant to the character involved," replies Order. "Certain abilities.. those at the pinnacle of their art, or field, or some such- these will not come so easily. With time, or perhaps retraining, you can learn."
[01:20] <Bean> "But, judging by the last, these should be short little jaunts, so I'll not have the time needed."
[01:22] <C-Rat> "I would not discount a longer stay as an impossibility," replies Order. "I cannot see the next world- neither can he, thankfully- but I do not think they will all be so short. Nonetheless... I don't need to tell you to be on the watch."
[01:27] <Bean> "After that? No, Paranoia is now the order of the day." Bean agrees.
[01:27] <Bean> "No pun intended."
[01:33] <C-Rat> <->

[Carthrat]

Logs go HERE.

[Carthrat]

Ok, I *Think* this is where we left off. I can't even remember which server we played this on before, so I havn't got the logs yet. >_>;

<->

The Nibelheim Mansion loomed ominously in front of Tifa and Cloud. Paint was peeling off the walls, and the windows were, to a one, ridden with dust and cobwebs. What was once a well-kept house had now become a derelict, and an omnious chill could be felt through the air. Despite the fact that it was not far, the town of Nibelheim proper seemed miles away.. as did Tifa's friends.

Cloud placed a hand on the closed front door, and pulled it open. A gust of dust blew out from inside. Unusual, seeing as all the black-hooded sephiroth clones had just opened the door themselves...

The interior of the house was no better than the exterior. While little was actually smashed up, the signs of decay where everywhere. The house was thick with dust, and small balls of it blew about like tumbleweeds. It felt icy cold, despite the relatively warm day outside.

A broken chandelier lay in the middle of the foyer, shards of glass scattered all about. There was no sign of any Sephiroth clone, but the house was anything but empty. Two staircases framed the walls and lead to a balcony, that oversaw the foyer proper. Two doors stood just in front of the stairs, leading to the wings of the house, and another two stood at the top of the stairs, against leading to the upper wings. A grand set of oaken, double-doors stood between the stairs, under the balcony, and a smaller door and the rear of the balcony.

Cloud lurched forward, suddenly uncertain, staring all about as if it was some kind of dream...

[Bean Bandit]

Stepping in, and sticking close to Cloud, Bean-Tifa felt a little foolish playing the role, but a session of exposition seemed poorly timed, at best.

She moved in behind Cloud, wishing that the woman who's body she was borrowing was more prone to...say, power armour. A tight tank top, miniskirt and suspenders did not seem altogether enough protection. Eyeing her surroundings warily, and looking for a threat....target...Seraphic sympols...a good hamburger, perhaps? She noticed Cloud looking more and more dazed. "Cloud...Cloud? Are you all right?"

[Carthrat]

A target didn't immediately present itself to Tifa, but she got a good look around the room. It wasn't really full; there were some faded portraits on the walls, a couple of bookshelves to the sides (filled with scientific journals, oddly enough)..

"This isn't how I remember this place," says Cloud, plaintively. "It was.. smaller. Doesn't it seem larger on the inside than it did on the outside?"

As he speaks, the door behind you slams shut, causing the floor to shake slightly.

[Bean Bandit]

"Well...yeah." Tifa replied carefully. Humor the distressed person with a giant sword. This is always an excellent plan. Still...he might be right. This place is fucked up. It's like a mad scientist's den.

As the door slammed shut, Tifa jumped, spinning around and scooted closer to Cloud, fists up. "I think it's safe to say something is wrong, Cloud."

[Carthrat]

Cloud whips around and looks at the door, hand drifiting to his sword. He strides forward, regaining a little of his confidence, and pulls at the handle of the door.

It doesn't budge.

"Indeed," he mutters, turning back to Tifa.

[Bean Bandit]

Tifa looks at Cloud askance, wondering why he seemed smarter as he was confused. "Well...I guess we'll find out what's going on soon...whoever locked us in here must want to show up and laugh maniacally, right?" she tries innocently.

[Carthrat]

"I suppose," he says, smiling a little. "But I don't think he'd make it so easy that all we need to do is wait."

He looks around at the six doors in the room, shaking his head. "Any door is as good as another, I suppose."

At that, he heads left, towards the west door on the ground floor.

[Bean Bandit]

"Right..." Tifa mutters, looking around unhappily and jumping as Cloud abruptly heads off. "Hey, wait!" She frowns, hurrying after the blonde man. "So much for chivalry." she grumps, wondering exactly what she expected, or why she even cares.

[Carthrat]

When Cloud opens the door, Tifa starts to hear a repetitive, percussive sound.

Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...

It's obviously coming from far away- but the noise echoes throughout the empty foyer, sounding almost as if it's bouncing around the walls.

Cloud smirks at Tifa's earlier comment. "Chivalry, huh? I guess that means you go first," he says, standing back and holding open the door for her.

The hall behind this door is like a set of dorms; the walls are lined with open doors; in some cases, doors are lying on the floor, and others are barely hanging onto their hinges. Tifa can make out the interior of some of the rooms; perhaps a servant wing? Each room is tiny, and often sport nothing but two beds and a tiny set of drawers.

There's a lump in one of the closer rooms, though- like somebody is sleeping in one of the bunks. There's no sound to be heard over the repetitive ticking, though- which doesn't distrub Cloud, at least, one bit.

[Bean Bandit]

"Jerk." Tifa replies, sticking out her tongue, hesitating but not shying away from slipping through the open door carefully.

While exploring, She tries to tune out the ticking, looking around the rooms, and hesitating as she sees the lump on the bunk. Not being particularly anxious to check it out alone, she is also not too eager to fit into a miniskirt this well for the rest of her life.

This thought prods her to head to the room, hoping to uncover the seal before anything even weirder happens....

[Carthrat]

The room doesn't look much better from the inside than it does on the outside. If anything, it seems to shrink- the room was probably built for people smaller than Tifa.

Then again, servants were probably not meant to stand out.

The (body? bundle? bag?) on the beg is swathed in black, like the robes of the Sephiroth-Clones that just recently entered.