Seaside 6: Six at the Beach

[Deathkeeper]

Sleeping Link Lane

"If you want to sound fancy for resumes you can consider yourself Shrine Acolyte but yeah." he sighs, though.
"Having someone around consistently is going to force me to actually have good habits, like a consistent sleep schedule. And dressing nice." CB would admit that when you're big and have a natural warm coat it's very much tempting to just not bother with shirts. Especially when no one is going to be around all day and you're not leaving home.

[Ironsmith]

Sleeping Link Lane

"If you want to sound fancy for resumes you can consider yourself Shrine Acolyte but yeah." he sighs, though.
"Having someone around consistently is going to force me to actually have good habits, like a consistent sleep schedule. And dressing nice." CB would admit that when you're big and have a natural warm coat it's very much tempting to just not bother with shirts. Especially when no one is going to be around all day and you're not leaving home.

[Sleeping Link Lane]

"Maybe, maybe not." Owena shrugs. "I'd be going home when you get up, assuming you follow a diurnal sleep schedule. If you decide to laze around in your underwear all day, I won't be there to tell you 'no'." She pauses, then, "That's really more of a feature than a bug, isn't it?"

[Deathkeeper]

Sleeping Link Lane

"Well, sure. But I don't know if that's really a feature. I don't think you really want to see that. Unless you do? Either way if it works for you, whatever. My sleep schedule is...not consistent. But I can get that on track for you." Yeah he doesn't think she wants to come in around dinner time to find Codebreaker stuffing his face in his underwear.

[Ironsmith]

[Sleeping Link Lane]

"That would be appreciated." Owena sighs and kicks up her feet on the lumpy old couch she's sitting on, rolling her shoulders as she quickly converts it to a bed. "Well, I'm calling it for the day. There won't be much to do until sunset hits." She smiles and starts idling plinking little blue stars onto the ceiling with her magic, which rotate slowly around the room. "Thank you for coming to check on us. It was very sweet of you."

[Deathkeeper]

Sleeping Link Lane

Codebreaker nods and sits up. "You're welcome Owena. I'll see you later."
He gives her a little wave and wanders out. With all the kids asleep he'd better get back to the car and check back on Kyrie...

[Ironsmith]

[=> Codebreaker's Home]

When Codebreaker returns to the room he left Kyrie in, he'll find the wolf-man sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the screen, holding a plastic guitar in his hands. The screen depicts a track full of various-colored buttons heading toward the viewer, smashing as they hit a threshold just before the screen. In the background, metal music can be heard.

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's Home

Codebreaker continues to be oddly good at being quiet as he comes down the stairs. Glued to the screen as Kyrie is, he might not even notice Codebreaker taking position leaning against the back of the couch. Of course regardless of whether or not he notices CB will helpfully pitch in unprompted when the song is done.
"You know this game is absolutely nothing like playing a real guitar, right? Not that that's a problem, but weren't you complaining about games not being realistic enough?" he asks, grinning.

[Ironsmith]

[Codebreaker's Home]

Kyrie lets out an exhausted sigh, having held his breath (so to speak) throughout the entire eight-minute ordeal. "This is challenging enough with one string, thank you very much!" He pants. "How did it go with the kids? Are they managing all right?"

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's House

"Sure sounds like it." He's about to say that the game was making Kyrie sweat but he realizes he doesn't know if Kyrie can do that. Wait, can he do that?
"They're fine. Siana and Arthfael were arguing but Owena and I defused that. I offered Owena a job. Someone has to help me keep this place clean and chase vandals away from the shrine."
He pauses before continuing, "And I told them a little about what happened to you so they wouldn't be too shocked."

[Rebonack]

[Team Quest]

Growth striking the rope and sails has the curious effect of caused large globular masses to being swelling out of the same material the projectiles strike. A sheet of canvas isn't THAT heavy, but a glob of it roughly four feet spherical certainly is. Chunks rip free from the ropes and sails and smash into the deck like falling boulders.

"Eao that big goblin is a boss you can't beat a boss in just one shot," Lapis points out helpfully. "The scan said we'll have to fight him if the boat blows up and-"

The boat blows up, scattering bits of wood, rope, and sail everywhere. Many goblins are slain outright, still more are dumped into the ocean.

There's a blur of motion from the rapidly disintegration deck as the scan indicator for Barfstain the Ruthless suddenly goes flying into the sky in a ballistic arc, showing a probability spread nearby for where he is likely to land. Our heroes have only a few moments to scramble out of the way!

Which Sappeerel sure does!

She quickly dives away from their fort and takes up cover behind a large boulder because the goblin boss is headed straight for the fort!

Upon impact there will be a rather large explosion as the powder keg the red cap was holding detonates, apparently to now ill effect on the goblin in question Above the status block a big red bar fills up, then an orange one, then a yellow one, then a green one, each overlaying each other. The green one only makes it about three quarters of the way, though, likely due to Eao's headshot.

[Ironsmith]

Codebreaker's House

"Sure sounds like it." He's about to say that the game was making Kyrie sweat but he realizes he doesn't know if Kyrie can do that. Wait, can he do that?
"They're fine. Siana and Arthfael were arguing but Owena and I defused that. I offered Owena a job. Someone has to help me keep this place clean and chase vandals away from the shrine."
He pauses before continuing, "And I told them a little about what happened to you so they wouldn't be too shocked."

[Codebreaker's Home]

Of course Kyrie can sweat. That odor that followed him around wasn't his cologne, after all.

Kyrie nods a little, somewhat conflicted about this turn of events. He disapproved of about half of what Codebreaker said he did, but couldn't really blame him for it. "...Very well." He says finally, looking up at the clock. "We have ten hours until sunset." He mutters, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's House

CB now finally, FINALLY can sit down on his own cushy couch for a minute. Which he does so, loosening one of his shirt buttons as he does so. Time for some proper relaxation.
"Well, you could keep practicing this. Or we could break out the TV shows that I've got lying around. Or you could finish that bath and haircut I offered you last week before we were interrupted. " In fact the auto-barber might actually have an easier time now that they don't have to change its settings.

[bc56]

Team Quest
Eao just glowers at the newly arrived boss. He's supposed to be dead!
She aims another shot at his head, Willing it to curve through the air towards him.

Meanwhile, Selekhael pops out of the cover where she was hiding and levels her shotgun at Barfstain and fires, a cone of temporal energy tearing through the air towards him.

[Ironsmith]

Codebreaker's House

CB now finally, FINALLY can sit down on his own cushy couch for a minute. Which he does so, loosening one of his shirt buttons as he does so. Time for some proper relaxation.
"Well, you could keep practicing this. Or we could break out the TV shows that I've got lying around. Or you could finish that bath and haircut I offered you last week before we were interrupted. " In fact the auto-barber might actually have an easier time now that they don't have to change its settings.

[Codebreaker's Home]

"Before we were interrupted" being the polite way of saying "before your niece went crazy, then you went crazy when I shot her".

Kyrie sighs. "Well, I know you're not going to stop hounding me about that bath until it's done, so let's get that over with." He grumbles, seemingly oblivious to the pun he made.

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's Home

"Hey you said it, not me!" says CB cheerily.
Kyrie will surely have a pleasant trip back to the CB Shower for a proper soak. And this time when he gets out he'll have his chance to sit in the auto-barber. In this case, a large chair with a number of mechanical arms. Once he sits in it the arms wil come down and given a thorough cleaning, brushing, and shampooing. Kyrie's coat will never be better. And then a nice air-drying.
Codebreaker only snickers a little.

[Ironsmith]

Codebreaker's Home

"Hey you said it, not me!" says CB cheerily.
Kyrie will surely have a pleasant trip back to the CB Shower for a proper soak. And this time when he gets out he'll have his chance to sit in the auto-barber. In this case, a large chair with a number of mechanical arms. Once he sits in it the arms wil come down and given a thorough cleaning, brushing, and shampooing. Kyrie's coat will never be better. And then a nice air-drying.
Codebreaker only snickers a little.

[Codebreaker's House]

Kyrie scowls as he steps out of the auto-barber, having had his fur tugged every which way, his skin sensitive from years of neglect (there were some painful, but otherwise bengin, infections all over him), and of course, completely indignant at the final result. "I look like a show dog." He grumbles. "Was all that braiding really necessary?"

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker’s Home

”No, you look like a dad who actually takes care of himself and cares about his appearance. And is also a wolf.
And no, I only keep my beard braided. But you ended up with more because you let a mane grow in. You can just cut all it off. But that would you know, require doing work on your appearance.” Chides Kyrie’s host.
It’s true that CB only keeps a short beard under his chin. Any further braiding is entirely Kyrie’s fault for not getting a haircut sooner. Or ever.
”If you want it to stop hurting you have to do this more often. When you have a full body coat you’ll have to take care of it. I think your nature is the only thing keeping you from having parasites. At least now your kids can be within ten feet of you.”
See this is because CB actually went and looked into help articles for people who are suddenly furry (mostly written for werewolves). Kyrie definitely did not.

[Earl of Purple]

Team Quest

Mishnehel doesn't respond to Barfstain's appearance, since she is digging a tunnel. She's trying to keep track of where he is so she can pop out behind him with her Metastatic Mitrailleuse, and then open fire and shoot him in the back. Hopefully he thinks one of the others is a better target, as Mishnehel has basically just left the fort and potentially even provided a way into it with cover.

[Ironsmith]

Codebreaker’s Home

”No, you look like a dad who actually takes care of himself and cares about his appearance. And is also a wolf.
And no, I only keep my beard braided. But you ended up with more because you let a mane grow in. You can just cut all it off. But that would you know, require doing work on your appearance.” Chides Kyrie’s host.
It’s true that CB only keeps a short beard under his chin. Any further braiding is entirely Kyrie’s fault for not getting a haircut sooner. Or ever.
”If you want it to stop hurting you have to do this more often. When you have a full body coat you’ll have to take care of it. I think your nature is the only thing keeping you from having parasites. At least now your kids can be within ten feet of you.”
See this is because CB actually went and looked into help articles for people who are suddenly furry (mostly written for werewolves). Kyrie definitely did not.

[Codebreaker's Home]

Kyrie sighs. In fairness, he didn't exactly have access to any reading material when he did turn, and it would've seemed redundant after a while. Cleanliness was not a priority it the wilderness.

"...Guess this is my life now." He says finally with a little shrug. "Combing an entire body's worth of hair and getting another gallon of shampoo every day." He looks down at his fur-covered body and has a realization. "The next time I spill something on myself is going to be a nightmare..."

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker’s Home

CB raises an eyebrow and opens the closet next to the autobarber, which is full of nothing but hair products.
”How long have you been like this? Because yeah, that’s our lives now. In my experience it never really gets less time consuming. And I have even more surface area to manage than you do.” Even if the difference is less than Kyrie would want.
”But at least tell me how you feel.”

[Ironsmith]

[Codebreaker's Home]

"...Better." Kyrie concedes. "I mean, I feel like your chair tried to rip my pelt up by the roots, but now thaf it's done..." He runs a paw along his arm, which feels much smoother without all the knots and dirt in it. "...there is a kind of relief to it."

Also, he no longer smells like an ogre's outhouse. So there's that.

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's Home

"Good! It hurt because you'd waited too long to do this. You're probably going to want to trim your claws a little, too. But you should ask Owena to handle that for you. Here." he gives Kyrie back his clothes.
"Now you can get dressed again. If you get something nice I assure you that no one will call you slovenly. Of course, I don't have any suits your size. Always been more of a casual guy myself but I know appearance is important to you." He hums, going through a nearby drawer. He comes out with a black switchblade.
"A young, stupid Codebreaker bought this because he thought it looked cool. Took me all week to get a proper edge on this thing. I know it's no replacement for your gear, but you're a bouncer, right? You might still want something. Don't worry, it was cheap because of that dull blade. CB has made a project out of turning all the dumb tacticool things his predecessor owned and making them functional, including the firearms. Some particular items already went in the scrap metal bin.

[Rebonack]

[Team Quest]

Oh boy the boss is in melee range!

Sappeerel wastes no time darting past the redcap in a blur, invoking Law of Blades as she rakes her sword through him to augment the cutting power of her weapon and phase it past resilient sections to strike only at the vulnerable. She moves with careful precision, zipping in then out to avoid impeding Batsael and Selekhael's shots. Speaking of! The diamond dart slams home, causing the goblin to stagger. The followup shotgun blast of temporal sheer knocks him right over!

And when he falls over something bad happens.

A whole mess of gunpowder barrels go flying everywhere!

While that's happening Mishnehel pops out of the ground nearby to get a good view of the prone boss and an explosive cask tumbling through the air toward her.

Better move quick!

It should be clear by now that Barfstain has an unholy level of resilience typically seen in boss monsters. One shot is absolutely NOT going to take him down.

[Ironsmith]

Codebreaker's Home

"Good! It hurt because you'd waited too long to do this. You're probably going to want to trim your claws a little, too. But you should ask Owena to handle that for you. Here." he gives Kyrie back his clothes.
"Now you can get dressed again. If you get something nice I assure you that no one will call you slovenly. Of course, I don't have any suits your size. Always been more of a casual guy myself but I know appearance is important to you." He hums, going through a nearby drawer. He comes out with a black switchblade.
"A young, stupid Codebreaker bought this because he thought it looked cool. Took me all week to get a proper edge on this thing. I know it's no replacement for your gear, but you're a bouncer, right? You might still want something. Don't worry, it was cheap because of that dull blade. CB has made a project out of turning all the dumb tacticool things his predecessor owned and making them functional, including the firearms. Some particular items already went in the scrap metal bin.

[Codebreaker's Home]

Kyrie accepts the clothes and starts getting dressed, considering what Codebreaker had to say about the suit. "That does look to be the closest analog to my armor, yes..." He admits, stroking his now-braided chin. "Although it may be out of my price range for a while. Something to bear in mind a few years from now."

When Codebreaker pulls out the switchblade, Kyrie takes it in his hands and rocks it back and forth, testing its weight, edge, and so on, before finally handing it back to Codebreaker. "I appreciate the gesture, but this is simply too much."

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's Home

Codebreaker's brow furrows.
"What? I mean the clothes are nothing. They're certainly not going to fit me again anytime soon. And the knife is junk, really. The handle won't hold up to much abuse. It would be entirely for scaring off troublesome miscreants from your workplace. Besides, all these weapons are worthless to me anyway. I'd be winded after three swings. That's why I have guns now." he shrugs.
"I just want to make sure you still have enough of an edge to do your job. You seemed worried about it. Of course, you're a smart guy. If you look I'm sure you could do something more lucrative than being dumb muscle."

[Ironsmith]

[Codebreaker's Home]

"That is a wonderful sentiment, and I appreciate it, but what I meant is that it's too much for bouncing." Kyrie explains. "I'm a bouncer, after all. My job is to throw out rowdy customers, not ventilate them." He hands the switchblade back to Codebreaker. "I can't justify using an actual weapon for that process. Their intended use is to maim or kill, which is too much for expulsions. It wouldn't even help in self-defense, since there are so few things that can hurt me in the long run."

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker’s Home

CB looks horrified.
”Oh gosh, I wasn’t suggesting you stab anyone. I was saying you carry something to scare people. Plenty of folks hold off making trouble when they see a weapon even if it’s just a metal cane or a small blade. And then there’s all the random encounters that pop up in Inside bars. Never know what critters pop up. That’s one reason I always carried a hatchet when I was a house scout.”
Codebreaker probably doesn’t know which specific bar Kyrie works at but he’d be able to guess if he tried.

[Ironsmith]

[Codebreaker's Home]

"I fail to see the distinction. Carrying a weapon openly implies that I both know how and am willing to use it. As the latter is untrue, it amounts to an idle threat, or worse, a provocation. Besides..." Kyrie gestures to himself again. "I'm still a large man-eater. Would me carrying a knife really make me that much more frightening?" He chuckles, just a bit.

[Gnrlshrimp]

Follow Your Nose

"I don't think I really plan on having a wide circle of lupine friends." Codebreaker says, unknowing of his future. Though he does turn to look at his rear. No, his tail doesn't look like much when it's sopping wet.
"From the look of it he used it a few thousand times so it definitely seems safe. I'll just have to make sure it can tell someone else is in the seat or else it'll mostly be missing." After all, while shorter than Atreyu's shifted self Codebreaker is larger in his other dimensions.
"It's really just a very fancy seat."

[Follow Your Nose]

Atreyu chuckles as Codebreaker turns to look at his own tail. "It ain't gonna look like much while soaked, Kid. But trust me, ya got a nice tail. I might even be a tad jealous myself. S'ppose I've never really tried, but I ain't ever got that much fluff into my tail." He scratches his chin, still looking a little doubtful about this chair. "Well, I guess if it can't do any harm..."

[Deathkeeper]

Codebreaker's Home

CB grins extra wolfishly. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Good that that confidence is still there." He's feeling too charitable to remind Kyrie that he's more of an XXL or XXL than a Large at the moment. But he thinks it and he can laugh at his own joke in his head.
"So what now? We still have ten hours to kill."

Follow Your Nose

"Well, you're welcome to try it all after we get out. Which can be now or later. This is honestly the first time I've used this pool in ages..." But they can't stay in for too long. Eventually their fingers will get all shrively! Even if they won't be able to see it because they've got hairy paws for hands. Well, at least one of them does all the time.