[IC I] The Wellspring Saga: Aurora Tenebrosa

[Estralita]

Octavia

Just as Octavia was getting ready to move on, that spectacle happened. An interesting situation, one Octavia wanted to get to the bottom of. Think of it as Stealth Training. Attempting to behave casually, Octavia got up, and wandered toward the group.

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

"Enough." The Half-Celestial stood and brushed herself off, flapping her wings to get the dust out. "I admire the attempt at security, Snorri, but we need help. Things are moving that are beyond us."

She looked the cleric square in the face as she straightened her tabard. She kept her voice low enough to discourage casual eavesdropping, but intense enough to dispel thoughts of concussed nonsense. "Either an incredibly elaborate prank is underway, or there is a coordinated attack being carried out on Gottenburg. Odd devices, strange behavior and illness, and now curious spells and bindings have been discovered at specific points around the city. We have undone some of what is going on, but not everything, and we don't have much time left. We were cautioned against starting a panic by the Custos Pacem... but if there is no way to evacuate the crowds, we can use them to our advantage."

She looked back at Snorri and Amy and gave a very un-paladinlike smirk. "Let's visit these suspicious locations of ours and alert the crowds that an impromptu contest is being held: a scavenger hunt for our missing devices. Demand that they give us only the location, voiding their claim to the prize if it has been disturbed. Dress it up in the theme of the evening - thwarting evildoers. With that many eyes on the issue, we'll be sure to find them fast."

[Othniel]

Snorri

The bard pondered Juno's suggestion. "An interesting idea...perhaps I could garner some attention with my music in these areas and one of you two could explain the 'contest.'"

[Estralita]

Octavia

An elaborate prank? Odd devices? And more prizes for Octavia to obtain? Even more curious. On impulse, Octavia decided she wanted in. "Looking for evil artifacts in the Carnival? So what sort of trouble are you in?" she said conversationally as she stepped closer to the group.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno, Octavia, Snorri, and Amala

The cleric's jaw hung slightly open as the group talked. "...I would like to know that as well. That is a very, very, serious claim to make. What kind of devices are you talking about, and what kind of spells? Does this have anything to do with why you fell unconscious?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

"Odd runes, steel casings, the size of a small chest. Lots of hoses and such. I do not know what the spells do, but we have found compelling evidence that they are planted in a specific pattern around the city. Additionally, we found two... rituals, or bindings, or something, that caused us to momentarily lose consciousness, though we saw... additional evidence while out of it. Evidence that you would not believe if I told you of it and have no way to prove or verify." Juno spoke quickly, in the hopes of conveying urgency and the need for action. "This is not a good time for further questions. We need to enact a plan to find the rest of these machinations. Snorri, do you have the map? Ah, good. Let's gather as many aides as we can, tell them... tell them anything if it will get them to help the search, but make sure that they don't actually move or tamper with the devices until someone who knows what they're doing gets there to deactivate them."

Spoiler: OOC

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Diplomacy: (1d20+11)[22]

[Othniel]

Snorri

Producing his map, Snorri pointed out the remaining locations of the devices. "There should be one device in the south as well as in each of three intercardinal directions of the map (the exception being the southeast, which Amy here reports was the charm binding Leviathan). The problem is that there are multiple attractions at each location, so we will have to be quick or lucky to find the remaining devices. And I'm not sure what might be off to the west at Ólafur Plaza - I have a bad feeling that the people behind these goings-on have something big planned there for sunset." Snorri turned to the cleric, putting as much urgency into his voice as he could, "Will you help us?"

Spoiler: Diplomacy

Show

(1d20+4)[7]

[Estralita]

Octavia

Octavia glances over the marked map, and her eyes land on one in particular. One over the Arcade. "Would one of the things you might see demonic Jack-in-the-Boxes jumping up in the shooting range? I thought it was just a prank, but it was creepy."

[Mathemagics]

Amy

Amy glanced over at the other newcomer who had just inserted herself into the conversation. Unsure as to whether or not the thing the girl described was what they were looking for, she settled on a shrug.

"Maybe? Wouldn't surprise me at any rate. Guess you've been running into weird stuff too though?"

The half-elf's gaze swept around the area, trying to find a clock or something else that could give the current hour.

"Either way... I think we should split up, at least into small groups. We can't have all that much time until sunset, and I've got a feeling that's when things are going to get ugly. We'll cover more ground if we're in two groups instead of one."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno, Octavia, Snorri, and Amala

A quick glance at a nearby clock tower reveals that it is 3:55. Sundown is at 5:00.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Juno, Octavia, Snorri, and Amala

The cleric gaped at Juno and the others, shaking her head almost as if in disbelief as they continued outlining the situation. At last, she spoke.

"If what you say is true... On tonight, of all nights..."

The cleric dusted herself off.

"Do you have any idea where the remaining devices might be? I know you said the South, Southwest, Northwest, and Northeast sectors, but where would be the best places to look in there?"

[Othniel]

Snorri

"They seem to be fed by fear, I think," Snorri answered. "So whatever is the most 'frightening' event in each area is the likeliest candidate." He paused, looking over the map and list of events. "If I had to wager - and what is this now but a wager with death in the pot - I would guess the freak show in the north east, whichever is the scariest roller coaster in the northwest, the roller coaster in the south, and...hmm," he paused. "None of the events in the southwest look particularly scary. I suppose the loveboats could be scary for a young man trying to work up the courage to kiss his lady love," he pondered, and winked at the cleric.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Calantha

The wheel of fate kept turning.

Spoiler: OOC - AC

Show

Pokety poke poke. An idle player is not something good.

Juno, Octavia, Snorri, and Amala

The cleric blushed lightly at Snorri's wink, but promptly resumed her more serious countenance. "Very well... I can't promise anything, but I'll try to see what I can do. Some of my sisters are assembled in the Northwest; I shall go there and rally them."

The cleric stalked off. "Leviathan, please let this just be an elaborate prank..."

Spoiler: OOC - JOSA

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So... what now?

[Nefarion Xid]

In line at Mama Danielle's Devilish Deep-Fried Delights, Aldric scoffed at the prices under his breath, "Seven silver for haggis? Does it come with a complimentary hand job? Ugh. I've never actually had a good ... haggis."

Unless interrupted, Aldric waits politely in the queue and orders a funnel cake to split with Callie.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Calantha

Savoring the delicious, fluffy, deep-fried pastry in combination with the cinnamon and powdered sugar, Aldric and Calantha proceeded to chow down on their funnel cake, a sense of well-being and satisfaction with life flooding their senses.

Juno, Octavia, Snorri, and Amala

After a good deal more heated discussion, the four-man team of Juno, Octavia, Snorri, and Amala elected to split up to cover more ground, deciding that Juno and Snorri should handle the northeast sector (and then go over to the northwest in the event they had sufficient time afterwards), while Octavia and Amala went to the south and southeastern sectors. So it was that, after some consideration, Juno and Snorri found themselves entering the freak show, while Octavia and Amala found themselves in line for the whirylgig. Just for a complete look-over. You understand, of course.

In addition, just before everyone left, Amala brought everyone together, creating a psychic bond between the team so that they could continue to communicate from afar.

Juno and Snorri

Entering the shadowy tent where the freak show was being held, Juno and Snorri were treated to all sorts of weird sights - and some rather pitiful ones. Strange animals, plants, and deformed fetuses and alchemical throwbacks lined the walls, sealed in glass jars and suspended in eerily glowing liquid. On a table, various strange instruments, whether of science or torture, were put out for display, curved and jagged in a way that evoked memories of teeth and saws, grinding and tearing away. And on various stages, way in the back, stood the freaks.

A bearded woman. A bird-nosed man. A one-eyed man.

Spoiler: Snorri

Show

Upon close examination, Snorri realized that it was not in fact a human with one eye, but in fact an actual cyclops - perhaps the runt of his litter?

A male set of conjoined twins. A man with three buttocks. A 'Kurwan Venus' with overly large buttocks. A man so gaunt, he almost appeared a skeleton, with hugely elongated arms and fingers, and a twisted shape to his body.

And in the corner, a booth called 'The Elephant Man', a barker calling out to the people to step up and see him.

Juno and Snorri both noticed that he appeared to look upon the 'freaks' with disdain, and they shied away from him, almost as if in fear. Neither of them, however, spotted any sign of another device.

Spoiler: Should you choose to try and leave...

Show

As Juno and Snorri tried to leave, a three-eyed clown jumped in front of them.

"Halt! He who would leave the tent and leaves must answer three of these riddles four, e'er he exit out the door."

"What is greater than the aspects,
more evil than devils,
the poor have it,
the rich want it,
but if you eat it, you die?"

"I make you weak at the worst of times,
I keep you safe, I keep you fine,
I make you sweat, and your heart grow cold,
I visit the weak, but seldom the bold."

"Pronounced as one letter,
and written with three.
Two letters there are,
and two only in me.
I'm double, I'm single,
I'm black, blue, and grey,
I'm read from both ends,
and the same either way."

"Imagine that you are in a dark room with no windows or doors. How do you get out?"

Octavia and Amala

Dretch's Devious Whirlygig was devilishly delightful.

Spinning round and round, up and down, Octavia and Amala screamed with delight, feeling the adrenaline as it coursed through their veins, happy laughter reverberating through them.

Then, having kept their eyes sharp regardless, they spotted why they had come.

At the center of the whirligig, near the motor, a loose floorboard could be spotted - and the sign of a looping hose and the flash of steel beneath. And, beside it, for some odd reason, a wedding ring.

As the two made to get off, a man began running to and fro.

"Has anyone seen my wedding ring! It fell off during the ride! If my wife finds out she'll kill me!"

[Estralita]

Octavia

Perhaps buoyed by the excitement and adrenaline of the ride, Octavia impulsively called out."Ahh! I see it! Underneath the ride!"

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aldric and Calantha

After sharing the very nearly sinfully delicious funnel cake — and being secretly glad that her brother could eat much more than her — Calantha's attention was once again captured by the spidery box sitting on the crushed remains of a candy apple cart. It was fascinating, rune-covered and exotic, with a strange sort of beauty to it.

"I wonder what that is..." Passing the remains of the funnel cake off to her brother, Calantha tilts her head, eyeing the Custos Pacem. After a moment, she approaches one of the scurrying ones, attempting to get their attention.

[Mathemagics]

Amy


Earlier

"Alright then, the two of us will sweep the south side of the carnival and you'll try the north? Guess we'd better get going."

The half-elf turned to leave, then abruptly paused as if she had remembered something important. She frowned, obviously concerned or upset about something.

"Wait..."

The request was hesitant, faltering and completely lacking in conviction as she said it. She bit her lower lip in evident indecision for several awkward seconds before taking a slow breath, apparently having made up her mind. She then resumed in a tone that, while still clearly uncomfortable, was a lot more resolved than it had been a moment before.

"Wait up a second. If we're going to split up, it might be a good idea to just hold off for a few minutes. This is probably going to sound weird, but... I could create some sort of link? or maybe you'd call it a bond? between us. It's hard to exactly explain but it would let me know if something bad was happening to any of you. Normally I wouldn't suggest this, but it seems like things might be getting pretty serious soon and... well I guess it could be helpful. That's only if you're all okay with it though... I'd understand if you weren't..."

Now

Amy spotted the "doom machine" (for lack of a better term) as well, though part of her wondered if they could have just looked for it without getting on the ride first. The other part of her overruled this, saying that the ride was clearly too fun to pass up on. The other-other part of her was busy reminding her that she had skipped out on eating earlier because of all the excitement and that her stomach was getting cranky.

As soon as the ride ended and the pair got out, Amy tried looking for a way to slip over toward the center of the machine (without doing something incredibly stupid like running over while it was in motion....).

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

The paladin stepped back when confronted by the clown, distracted by the carnival barker and the curious reactions of those around them. "Um, Svama was always a fan of the classics... the first two answers are Nothing and Fear." She continued to watch the barker, this time calling upon her angelic abilities to try to sense corruption about him. "Take it away, bastion of bardistry!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using the special paladin standard-action detect evil on the suspicious man. Will use the broader version if that doesn't turn up anything.

[Othniel]

Snorri

"Well," the bard began, "I believe the answer to the third riddle is an 'eye,' but some eyes are neither black, blue, nor grey. To your fourth, (and hopefully final) question: If I were to imagine myself in a dark room with no windows or doors and wanted to get out, I would simply stop imagining." He grinned at the clown. "That reminds me, did you ever hear about the two demons who ate a clown? The one turned to the other and remarked, 'Did that taste funny to you?'"

Spoiler: OOC

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Perform (Comedy): (1d20+4)[10]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Calantha

As Calantha approached, the Custos Pacem Lieutenant, who had a rather mean look on his face, stepped into her path.

"Stop right there, citizen! One more step and you shall be charged with interfering with an official Custos Pacem investigation. Now, go back about your business, and know that absolutely nothing is happeni-"

Just then, a Detective stepped toward the Lieutenant.

"Report just came in of another sigil, Lieutenant Thrar. Same as the one in the Haunted House. People are getting-"

"SHUT UP! CRAZY TALK! NOTHING IS HAPPENING! EVERYTHING IS FINE! AND YOU-" He leveled a finger at Calantha. "...HEARD NOTHING! NOW, I'M GOING ON BREAK, AND IF I SEE YOU WITHIN 50 FEET OF THIS PLACE BY THE TIME I GET BACK, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR OBSTRUCTION!"

Stomping off, the plaza was silent once again, the Custos Pacem looking at Calantha with a rather helpless and slightly terrified expression.

Juno and Snorri

Her hand shining with energy, Juno detected the barker as being mildly evil. The clown, in the meantime, looked at Snorri with a raised eye. "Seriously? You're going to break out that old-"

Then he stopped.

"You... You solved all four riddles. That's the first one today! Yippee! Yaha! WahooaaaAAAGH!"

Having begun to leap about with joy as Juno and Snorri solved the riddles, the clown had inadvertently tripped over something, going smashing into a conveniently placed crate - which shattered to pieces.

And there it was, an identical device to what Snorri and Juno had seen before. The same size of a small chest of drawers, same steel construction, same rune-like writing, and the same hoses looped in and around it. At the top, what appeared to be a crystal was encased in some sort of glass housing, spinning gently in the air.

"Engvall! That's coming out of your salary!"

The barker was stalking over now, a whip clutched in his hand and a nasty look on his face. "And what in the name of Order's <REALLY CENSORED> is that piece of garbage?"

The clown, taken aback, stammered. "I-I don't know!"

Octavia and Amala

"You saw it?! Oh, thank you, thank you!"

Taking off toward the center pylon of the ride, Amala followed casually behind the man looking for his wedding ring, who, upon successfully retrieving it, was then approached by a ride employee.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but we do need to clear this area for the next batch of customers."

"I know, I know. I was just getting my - what on earth?"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Amala pulled up the loose board - and there it was, an identical device to what she had seen before. The same size of a small chest of drawers, same steel construction, same rune-like writing, and the same hoses looped in and around it. At the top, what appeared to be a crystal was encased in some sort of glass housing, spinning gently in the air.

"Is... that part of the ride?"

"No... No, it's not."

Examining the crystal, Amala was able to recognize it as a magic amplification crystal - often used in robots or more complicated magical artifacts in order to boost the magical power output. The hoses, upon further examination, appeared to be both coolant and arcane energy conduits.

Nothing further about the machine was apparent from examining the outside, and Amala could not spot how to open the machine at first glance.

[Othniel]

Snorri

"NOBODY TOUCH IT!" Snorri shouted. "I'm with Söngvari Hópur, and I'm an expert." Pointing toward the proprietor. "I need to disable this thing, but would you call the Custos Pacem please? Not that they'll be much use..." He eyed the contraption and motioned toward Juno. "Juno, please don't let them distract me." With that, Snorri bent over the device and went to work.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Bluff! (1d20+10)[12]
Disable Device: (1d20+12)[17]

[Estralita]

Octavia

Well, that made things much simpler. Octavia hurried to follow Amala underneath the whirlygig, calling out, "Don't worry, we're experts."

Once Octavia was in position, Octavia tossed off her bag and dug through all the toys. Finally she found her special Masterwork tools and got to work.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

In case it isn't obvious, Disable Device check:
(d20+13)[29]

[hi-mi-tsu]

Callie

Calantha's eyes flash, just once, at the man yelling at her, blustery and pointing. Did he think he was scary?

"I've seen scarier things than you in my good dreams." The words are muttered under her breath; unconsciously, the young summoner rubs her fingers over the stone affixed to her throat as she watches the loud-mouthed buffoon stomp away.

Inhaling, she turns her attention to the rather terrified-looking Custos Pacem officer and offers them a reassuring smile.

"Well, now. That was a lot of noise and bluster for someone like me. I mean, really. I wouldn't harm a fly!"

She steps closer, reaching out to rest her fingers lightly on the officer's arm.

"You said there was another one of these things? What did you call it? A 'sigil'? What are they, exactly? Part of the festivities?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Aldric and Callie

Current Time - 4:05

As Calantha spoke to the officer, his countenance took on an expression of utmost gratitude - as if her words were some of the only friendly ones he'd heard all day. Looking to the others, he nodded meaningfully, and they responded in kind. As they began to chat suspiciously loudly - almost as if to cover up any illicit activity - the detective lead Calantha precisely 50 feet away from the site, and in a location suspiciously close to where Aldric stood watching.

"Before I say anything else, you did NOT hear this from me."

"You know, of course, that this is a big anniversary year for the annual Matronacht festival, right? 100th year since the defeat of hell and all that. So there's a lot of pressure on the Custos Pacem to keep order this year - the Archon and the Heilog Radid are really pushing for this to be a Matronacht to remember."

Spoiler: OOC - Heilog Radid

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The formal name for the council formed of all the various Cardinals, Prince-Electors, Dukes, and Archbishops, who convene with Archbishop to discuss important matters of ruling Bastion, and are often called upon to state their approval or disapproval of various pieces of legislation. Technically speaking, the Archon can pass laws without consulting them, but this rarely done, if at all - over the centuries, it has proven a consistent truth that when the Archon listens to the Heilog Radid, and when the Heilog Radid listens to the people, laws generally tend to go over much more smoothly.

"Unfortunately, Commander Einarson and the ranking officers have gotten pretty stressed about it all, to the point where they're going way overboard at even the slightest trouble in an effort to make sure no-one leaves. But the thing is, we're pretty sure that something big is going down."

"It started shortly after the festival opened - over in the Angel's Arcade, someone found a weird-looking machine like that one, and then about 20 minutes later they discovered this when someone knocked over the candy apple stand. A few minutes before that, they found this weird magic circle that wasn't part of the decorations in the haunted house, and then 10 minutes ago, they found a duplicate of it hidden near the top of the Highway to Hell. And all of it looks way too complicated to be just a mere prank, but since Spellcraft's not our specialty, no-one knows what the heck this stuff is, and the people over at Myrkvir University - who we usually call in to help identify stuff like this - aren't answering radio hails."

"So, long story short, suspicious looking magic things are turning up around the carnival, no-one knows what they're for, and we can't raise the alarm and send people home because the officers are desperately trying to pretend nothing's wrong. Not that's that's stopping people doing the sensible thing and leaving, because obviously the public isn't stupid, but it's not enough, I think."

Juno and Snorri

Current Time - 4:10

The barker, not to be deterred, pressed forward. "I don't care if you're the damn Archon's shoe-shiner, I want to know what's going on here! What the heck is that thing?!"

Out of the corner of their eyes, Juno and Snorri spotted someone leaving the tent, presumably in search of the Custos Pacem.

Now intimately familiar with the workings of the device, Snorri located a little pad, hidden in an alcove inside the device. Pressing it, a familiar diamond of lights popped up at him.

------X
---O----O
-X---------O-O
---O----X
------O

Examining the loops and sigils inside the device once more, and inspired by Amala's musings on the subject, Snorri came to a realization on the nature of the device. It appeared to have two purposes. The first, using sigils similar to what he'd seen on the charm, was to collect ambient magical energy, particularly magical energy tinged by fear. The second, using a series of resonance loops, was to amplify that energy and store it until a signal was received, at which point it would be projected to elsewhere - where that was, and what the trigger was, Snorri could not tell.

Using his knowledge from the previous disarmament, Snorri cut the loops and disrupted the flow of magic through the device. The crystals stopped shining, and the slight hum the machine had been giving off before ceased. The diamond of lights flickered, briefly...
------X
---O----O
-X---------O-O
---O----X
------O

Before shutting off entirely. The spinning crystal up top lost its momentum, clattering to the bottom of its enclosure.

Octavia and Amala

Current Time - 4:15

After more careful examination of the device, Octavia located a series of hidden latches and popped the device open. In her search for a way to turn off the device, she located a little pad, hidden in an alcove inside the device. Pressing it, a diamond of lights popped up at her and Amala, who had come to peek over her shoulder.

------X
---O----O
-X---------O-O
---O----X
------O

Looking at the sigils, hoses, and crystals that composed the devices innards, Amala came to a realization on the nature of the device. It appeared to have two purposes. The first, using sigils similar to what she'd seen on the charms, was to collect ambient magical energy, particularly magical energy tinged by fear. The second, using a series of resonance loops, was to amplify that energy and store it until a signal was recieved, at which point it would be projected to elsewhere - where that was, and what the trigger was, Amala could not tell.

Meanwhile, Octavia spotted hose that looked like it would deactivate the device. Carefully, breaking out her tools, Amala created a feedback loop before cutting it just so...

And then the crystals stopped shining, and the slight hum the machine had been giving off before ceased. The diamond of lights flickered, briefly...
------X
---O----O
-X---------O-O
---O----X
------O

Before shutting off entirely, the spinning crystal up top plopping to the bottom of its glass housing.

[Jade_Tarem]

Juno

The paladin decided to let Snorri work his charm and magic without her - she suspected her 'assistance' with the device would do more harm than good. Instead, she blocked the path of the barker, flaring her wings out - and while they seemed large folded up, they took up considerably more room when extended.

When the device shut down and the lights changed, she breathed a sigh of relief. Still stonewalling the crowd, she turned to the belligerent barker. "There isn't time for a proper talk, but I am a paladin, and a panja of the Solar Order. My lord Titan has blessed me with the ability to see corruption in the hearts of others." She held up a pair of fingers, pointed at her own eyes. She then twisted her wrist to point at his eyes, and then back. "There is a judge. There is an Order. Treat your people better." She looked over her shoulder at her companion and folded her wings again. "We need to move quickly on the other northern device. With luck, we can meet the others to the west, before sundown."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Intimidation check to put the fear of Titan in the barker before leaving.

(1d20+6)[9]

[Othniel]

Snorri

"Yeah, good plan! I don't think the barker there is happy. One moment..." As the machine shut off, Snorri spotted the crystal and reached in to grab it. "Okay, now we can go!"

[Estralita]

Octavia

Octavia grinned, as she took apart the machine. This night just kept getting better and better. She quickly packed away all her things, swiped the crystal from the machine, and briefly considered switching the man's wedding ring for one of the rings she won, before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. Instead she scooped up the ring, and came out from the machine and offered it to the man silently smiling.

[hi-mi-tsu]

Callie

"Hmmm." A puzzle! She loved puzzles. They were usually twisty in the way her brain was twisty, and working them out was the most fun thing.

"You say you need help with figuring out the magicky things, right?" She grins, and claps her hands together once.

"But I know about those! I know about spells, and magical devices, and things! Look, I can prove it!"

Focusing hard, the summoner begins to move her hands in a complicated pattern, lips moving in a nearly inaudible chant. A form began to coalesce, gaining dimension and form, until - with a triumphant flourish - a unicorn stood before the Custos Pacem officer. Callie grins.

"This is Phaeton! He's my unicorn! See, I can do magic stuff. Where's this new thing?"

[Mathemagics]

Amy

Earlier once again

When nobody raised objection, Amy took a deep breath and nodded, just slightly.

"Alright then, I'll need to ask each of you to calm your minds. This'll take a few minutes, so you might want to find somewhere to sit and get comfortable too."

Once the others had made their preparations, the half-elf placed herself in front of Snorri. Timidly, she reached her hand out, stopping about a foot from his forehead as she slowed her own breathing.

"Just... try to relax. It might seem intrusive at first, but it really isn't. I can't see anything you don't want seen. It's not even able to connect our minds, so there's no need to worry. Relax."

As the empathic bond slowly began to synchronize, Amy felt more than sensed the presence slowly begin to trickle into her subconscious. It wasn't something she could readily explain, it just was. Somehow she understood that this presence represented a small part of Snorri. In the landscape of her mind it crystallized--a pale blue color, sharp and clear like the air of a crisp winter morning.

She moved on to the next and began to repeat this instinctive process with Juno. After a moment, the bright and clear blue that represented Snorri was joined by a second presence--this one a heavy and radiant golden color, suffused with a glowing warmth. The newcomer (who had apparently given her name as Octavia) was last, with a vibrant green-blue like the water of a lagoon. Slowly opening her eyes, Amy's focus returned to the present. With a suddenly embarrassed expression, she diverted her gaze from the others and nervously coughed.

"There... it-it's done. I'm carrying a tiny piece of each of you now. Or maybe it's just a copy... or I'm watching it over some type of link... I'm not really sure myself. Either way, if something happens to any of you I should be able to notice..."

The small voice was quickly pushed aside as she sought for a way to change the topic, forcing a smile in the process.

"Anyway! We should get going now, don't you think? We haven't got all night!"

And once more back to the now

The machine was disarmed without incident, a fact that Amy was quite thankful for considering she had next to no confidence in her own ability to disable it. As she and Octavia removed themselves from the immediate vicinity of the whirligig, she offered the other girl a smile.

"Nicely done back there. Did you happen to get a look at that display? One of the lights flickered out when you cut the machine off--there were just two left. I guess that means the others managed to find and disable one themselves. So... let's just keep following the circle around westward. These things are giving me a bad feeling... I really would rather not finding out what happens if they go off..."