Trog's Tavern CLV

[Rebonack]

Zee will be found staring off toward the-

Wait, that isn't the women's bathroom. In place of a generic person sign there's a collection of abstract shapes that don't seem to be content to hold still, shifting in a fluid and distinctly disconcerting fashion..

"Is someone messing with the architecture in the non-euclidean restroom again?" she wonders aloud.

Oh well.

It's probably fine.

"Hey Keiko. Yeah, OG Magtok showed up and caused some trouble. There were some minor injuries but I think everyone's going to be alright," she says, gesturing at the mecha-millipede body laying in the middle of the floor. "I've haven't had a chance to toss the Magtok castings in the dumpster yet. But hey enough of Trog's problems what can I get you this evening? Today's special is good ol' fashioned crispy friend chicken and breaded catfish."

Wow!

Score!

It sounds like Keiko visited on a great day for fox-food.

[Fenric]

Keiko's ears perk up and she has to work to not drool all over the counter. She glances at the millipede

Magtok, eh? Branching out to bugs, though... kinda icky.

Then back to Zee

And oh my! Yes: two of each, please, and a six-pack of cola.

[Rebonack]

"Coming right up!" Zee replies as she gets to work behind the counter. Pretty soon the smell of frying fish and chicken completely overpowers the scent of dead millimag.

As is typically the case Zee really seems to know what she's doing. It's nice that Trog's has branched out a bit, too! But unlike Magtok branching out into awful arthropod forms Trog's has branched out into a slightly wider selection of food! It's one of the most popular places to stop in the Nexus so hey it makes sense, right?

While the chicken is busy frying Zee asks, "What sort of side did you want with that? I've got fries, coleslaw, diced fruit, and rice pilaf."

All of those sound pretty great.

"And could I interest you in a few of our lovely freshly baked brownies?"

She gestures at the brownies sitting sumptuously under a glass case on the countertop.

Thankfully Magtok didn't break it.

Zee would have been pretty upset.

Oh!

And speaking of Magtok!

"Hey Mags you still owe me a fixed toaster," she calls out. "Don't think I've forgotten!"

[Fenric]

Keiko doesn't even pause a moment.

Fries and slaw, please! And oh yes, I think I'd commit warcrimes for a couple of those nice fresh brownies right now.

[Ironsmith]

June looks past Arthfael, and comes closer, too, to get a better look.
"...On the plus side," she says, trying to bring some levity to this weird situation, "my headache's fading."

June can actually see in the dark pretty well. And around corners. And ghosts. And other things, too, so long as they're not too far. It's weird, but...that's pretty far away. "Um."
She swallows, looks at Arthfael, and then back down the hallway. "Well, last time I got in this type of situation, somebody noticed I didn't come back and then came and rescued me," she says.
June tries to see if she can see anything beyond just the tiles, lights, and...just that. "Honestly speaking, I'm not sure whether it'd be best, in this particular case, to stay put or look around to see where we are."

Oh, shoot, she was talking so much that she forgot to apply consistent pressure on her lip.
June immediately shuts up and presses harder.

Arthfael sighs. Okay, right. Stay put and wait to be found. Not the worst plan. If someone could open a way into the bathroom, they could just leave then, right? And it's not like nobody would be looking for them; his uncle was bound to get worried, at least. Assuming he checked the right bathroom.

"I... guess we should, yeah." Arthfael concludes.

"Day 352: Audio hallucinations are starting to intensify. I keep thinking I hear other people in here. It has to be my brain playing tricks on me..."

Faint echoes of a voice coming through the tunnel. Feminine, cold, professional. Unfamiliar. Someone else trapped in here with them?

[Rebonack]

"I've heard tell of millimag having an evil facility in Skyside," Zee muses as she removes the glass top from the case and picks up a few brownies with wax paper to put them into little baggies. "I'll bet the werefoxes bombing the heck out of it just in case things get too out of hand would count as brownie-worthy war crimes."

Sure Zee could probably do something about the situation herself.

But the more direct action she takes the more likely it is that one of her peers would object and that could lead to some pretty bad things.

Better to let the heroes of the Nexus tend to things, right?

"There are already some pretty competent folks looking into it so no reason to jump the gun, I think."

Brownies are bagged up. Fries and slaw boxed. Chicken and catfish ready to go!

Zee passes the heavenly smelling dinner over to Keiko with a smile.

"There you go! Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?"

[Fenric]

Keiko takes her food and puts an appropriate number of coins down

I think I'm good, but that bathroom sign's giving me a headache: you might wanna get that fixed.

With that, she heads back through the mirror.

[5a Violista]

June closes her eyes and listens.

Speaking more slowly and carefully, this time, she says, "Wait
I've heard a story like this before. Except it had an elevator, not a bathroom."

She pays close attention to make sure there's not any ghosts or whatever, because that's what would make a ton of sense to show up next.

[Purple Eagle]

Jade listens with interest. Soon is an understatement if it's wearing off so quickly. "If you're undercover, I feel like a voice shift like that will be noticed even if you know how to partly cover it up." She considers the idea. "I'm sure if you needed to, you could get a longer-lasting version of that potion you're using. Or if it needs to be really drastic, I've heard there are people who can permanently alter your appearance." She shrugs. "I guess in a place like this there are a lot of ways to get the same result."

[Jade and Mirai]

"That's what I mean by voice training. See?" Mirai's back to her feminine voice, though the pitch is slightly higher now. "I took the potion some time before coming here, had to do my makeup as a girl... among other things, that is. Don't worry, I came prepared."

She takes out a pill and ingests it just as her chest begins to flatten before Jade's eyes, which predictably reverses the effects and keeps her feminine for a little longer. When a permanent alteration is suggested however, Mirai flinches before she can stop herself. "I don't want that, the only reason I'm so comfortable exploring is because I know it's not permanent. Don't worry, I don't go undercover as a girl... that was just a hypothetical situation."

"Y'know, you should meet my little sister." She says, after sipping her beer.

[Ironsmith]

June closes her eyes and listens.

Speaking more slowly and carefully, this time, she says, "Wait
I've heard a story like this before. Except it had an elevator, not a bathroom."

She pays close attention to make sure there's not any ghosts or whatever, because that's what would make a ton of sense to show up next.

"...How does that help us?" Arthfael asks. "We don't know anything about... whatever is going on here."

"30 new tunnels mapped. The network continues to expand. These maps are appended to my logs, on the offhand chance anyone finds them. I have to wonder if there's any point to that, given the seemingly endless nature of this structure, but... it beats sitting here, doing nothing.

...Ugh. Get a grip, Janice. At some point you're just talking to yourself."

[bc56]

"Sorry, didn't mean anything by it." It's Jade's turn to get defensive. "Oh? What's she like?" She's happy for the change of topic.

[5a Violista]

June figures it's probably different enough to not matter. If they were in an elevator, then fhist thing happening would be incredibly dangerous and she would recommend not stepping out into the hallway.
As-is, a bathroom really is different from an elevator.

Between the muffling cloth and trying to not remove the pressure too much, June decides it's best if she's not the one who calls out. So she suggests to Arthfael, "Hey, you have a louder voice, so you should call out to whoever's out there. Maybe they know where we are."

[Ironsmith]

Arthfael looks at June like she just asked him to light a bonfire. "Are you crazy?" He hisses. "We don't know what that is! For all we know, she could be some kind of giant cockroach that wants to eat our intestines or something!"

Well. Someone was being a little paranoid. Not that such creatures didn't exist or that they wouldn't be encountered in some kind of pocket dimension, but the odds of this person being one were infinitesimal.

[5a Violista]

June glances at Arthfael and resists the urge to roll her eyes. Of course they don't know what it is.
"Don't worry, if it's a giant cockroach, I'll protect you. Even if it's some kind of fish or...or cultist or robot or whatever. So you can get behind me if you need to, I won't mind," she says.

"Best-case scenario, we find out where we are. Worst-case scenario, I punch something then we ask it where we are."

[Ironsmith]

Arthfael sighs. He's not sure what kind of help June would be against intestine-roaches, but at least she was offering. And if they were stuck down here with some kind of monster, there really weren't a whole lot of other places to go.

"Okay..." Arthfael clears his throat. "Um... hello, out there! Anyone here?"

"Not dignifying that. You're not real. Go away."

[Lord Magtok]

Miranda sighs and produces a pack of cigarettes from her jacket, shaking one loose for herself now. Magtok was likely right; confronting Prime now was hardly ideal, and would probably result in one or more of them dying. At the same time, leaving him unchecked was likely to see him coming back in short order; a week perhaps, maybe two. Bowing out of this impromptu mission was not an option.

"Let me be equally blunt, Mister Magtok." Miranda replies, taking a drag from her cigarette. "I'm completely prepared to not come back from this fight. I've had a copy of my last will and testament in a safety deposit box since I was a teenager. I've been shot, stabbed, burned, strangled, and systematically tortured at least once a month each in my adult life. I've done all of that for millions of people I've never met and who will never even know I existed. And in that time, I've taken down dictators, cultists, mad scientists, and a handful of doomsday devices. I've even convinced a few to change sides. I am not about to be cowed from standing up against yet another megalomaniac because of bad odds."

She lets out a long sigh and an accompanying fragrant cloud of smoke. "...I don't have all of that equipment at my disposal. In the time it'll take to get that all together, Prime might be well past the point where we can stop him. It could be that all we'll manage to do is delay him. But if that saves lives and gives someone more capable time to prepare, it'll be worth the risk." She gives a small, sad-looking smile. "...Thank you for your time, Mister Magtok. Best of luck." She stands up from her chair and gathers up her things, getting ready to track down the guys up in Skyside.

Mag freaks out, limping towards Miranda and trying to get in the way before she leaves. Two adventurers dead is one thing; three is a really bad precedent and an ill omen for the Nexus. At that point Prime's narrative influence would be utterly enormous, and it'd take nothing short of a full-blown apocaplot to put him down.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on now. You remember when I said Prime died fourteen years ago? And how we found out today that he's been a ghost this whole time? Whatever preparations he's wanted to make, I'm sure he's made them already. At least help me find someone capable of doing neuro-shielding; if he possesses me he gains access to an entire evil lair's worth of deadly superweapons. We can't let that happ-"

"May I ask, do you know how he became this ghost?" Arkant asks. "I mean mostly it involves the death of the body. To make it easy I would like to know what and who has done it last time. The nexus is a wild thing and maybe we can find those people or anything they left in such a case."

And speaking of Magtok!

"Hey Mags you still owe me a fixed toaster," she calls out. "Don't think I've forgotten!"

Magtok stops midsentence, glances at the two, and does some quick mental calculations. He doesn't know anything about this Arkant guy, but he trusts him less than anyone else in the room, especially after that attempt to send people to assault the MagCave. Maybe it'd be better to just-

"On second thought, go ahead and hunt him down, I have something else to take care of, test to run, so okaygoodluckdon'tdiebye!" He reaches into his robe and produces a brand new toaster, which he lobs in Zee's general direction before telewarping the hell out of here. Another minute in this place and he'd get far too embroiled in this plot, someone would insist on him fighting Prime with them, and we absolutely can't have that.

[Ironsmith]

Mag freaks out, limping towards Miranda and trying to get in the way before she leaves. Two adventurers dead is one thing; three is a really bad precedent and an ill omen for the Nexus. At that point Prime's narrative influence would be utterly enormous, and it'd take nothing short of a full-blown apocaplot to put him down.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on now. You remember when I said Prime died fourteen years ago? And how we found out today that he's been a ghost this whole time? Whatever preparations he's wanted to make, I'm sure he's made them already. At least help me find someone capable of doing neuro-shielding; if he possesses me he gains access to an entire evil lair's worth of deadly superweapons. We can't let that happ-"





Magtok stops midsentence, glances at the two, and does some quick mental calculations. He doesn't know anything about this Arkant guy, but he trusts him less than anyone else in the room, especially after that attempt to send people to assault the MagCave. Maybe it'd be better to just-

"On second thought, go ahead and hunt him down, I have something else to take care of, test to run, so okaygoodluckdon'tdiebye!" He reaches into his robe and produces a brand new toaster, which he lobs in Zee's general direction before telewarping the hell out of here. Another minute in this place and he'd get far too embroiled in this plot, someone would insist on him fighting Prime with them, and we absolutely can't have that.

All the more reason to go, then. If Prime was already ready to commence with the destruction, then somebody would be needed to knock him off-balance.

Miranda stops to listen to what he has to say, and gives a little smile when he leaves. Aw. He does care.

And with that thought fresh in her head, Miranda makes her way to Skyside.

[Zefir]

"I could make something to shield you from his psychic ....." he says as the Magtok telewarps away. How sad. He might have steped on his wrong foot there. He just knew about the cave and assumed it's kinda abonded. Well not really something he can do. He has no way to stop the telewarp and this Magtok seems to not want to talk anymore.

While he walkes off to his table he passes Kyrie.
"Seems like you lost 'your child' again." he says and points in the direction of the bathrooms. "The bathrooms are gone." then he goes on not even waiting for his response.

[5a Violista]

Ugh, what an annoying mysterious person. June rolls her eyes now, and sighs. She starts to doubt how useful this unknown person would actually be in knowing where they are.

June glances at Arthfael, in case he has any other ideas on how to get that person over here to answer their questions.

. . .
Well, maybe she should call out, then. She adjusts the cloth so that it won't muffle her voice as much as possible, mentally prepares herself to keep the pressure applied, and takes a deep breath.
"If you don't come check out the source of the voices, you're going to stay up all night wondering why there's two new voices in your head!" she calls out.

[Ironsmith]

"...Like I said, you're not real."

Arthfael jumps as the voice is suddenly in the room with them... somewhere. It's much louder, much closer, but there doesn't appear to be anyone speaking. "Um... I'm pretty sure we're real, lady."

"Right. You're two oh so real disembodied voices somewhere in this maze that makes no sense, and not just, say, the product of a deranged mind in isolation. Sure. Occam's Razor is working heavily in your favor."

Rude.

[5a Violista]

"So you're saying you normally hear voices in your head?" June asks, glad that she doesn't have to shout it and can mostly just focus on keeping the bleeding down.

She sighs and leans against a wall.
"Figures we'd be stuck here with someone who not only doesn't know where she is but also hears voices in her mind."
Although, June doesn't consider it that rude, admittedly. She can see and hear things that other people can't all the time, like ghosts and people's...aura? or something. Whatever. But at least June has the courtesy to try to ignore them so that she can focus on the more-real things, instead of the other way around like this random person seems to be doing.

[Ironsmith]

"It's a perfectly normal response to extended periods of isolation, actually." The voice replies. "We're social animals. Not just in the sense that we can cooperate with each other, but in the sense that we have to in order to stay physically and mentally healthy. There have been many studies done on the subject- which I'm sure you know, being in my head and all."

"If you think we're in your head, why are you talking to us?" Arthfael points out.

"Well, I tried ignoring you, but that does precisely -all. At least if I'm talking to you, I have something to do."

[5a Violista]

June closes her eyes and leans against the wall, enjoying the cool tile in this weird situation. As long as they can find out where they are, everything maybe will work out.

"Well, as long as you're talking to yourself," June says, "Might as well go through all the things you know about yourself and this place. Maybe looking at it again with new voices will help you realize something and have a breakthrough."

[Ironsmith]

"Not much to tell. This just looks to be an endless network of tunnels. I've been down here a year and haven't ever hit a dead end or an edge. I've made a bunch of maps, but I can't seem to get them to make sense; overlaying them shows that these tunnels cross themselves in ways that are, frankly, impossible. I must have lost my sense of direction at some point."

"How'd you end up down here, though?" Arthfael asks.

"Supposedly, one of these tunnels connects to a parking deck in L.A., but I haven't been able to find that tunnel back."

[5a Violista]

So...
Endless tunnels.
Okay.
That's a reason to not leave the bathroom without laying out some kind of trail.

"A whole year?" June asks. "And in all that time, you've never found any rooms or anything?"

June thinks...
Also. A year? "What have you been eating, anyway? Since you been here for a year."

[Ironsmith]

"Not a one. But you knew that already." There's a brief pause. "And as for food... well, it's the damnedest thing. Six hours in, I got hungry. Twenty-four hours in, I was famished. A week in, I could have eaten my own hands off. Then it just... stopped. I haven't had problems with it since."

Arthfael pales. "That sounds almost exactly like moroi-ing. Are... you okay, lady?"

"Of course I'm not okay. I'm talking to myself and using words like 'moroi-ing'."

[Purple Eagle]

"Sorry, didn't mean anything by it." It's Jade's turn to get defensive. "Oh? What's she like?" She's happy for the change of topic.

"It's okay, you just assumed. Honest mistake. I just consider this part of my therapy." Mirai quickly assures Jade that it's all right.

The change of topic pushes forward, with Mirai also happy for it. "Haha, she's... she comes off as a bitch, is one of many things I've been told by others. She's just socially awkward though, but that only covers a warm inside. If you don't mind befriending a 17-year old goth nerd, then you should have no problem!" She starts to sip more of her beer, then stops to quickly ask something before continuing. "So I never actually asked you this: tell me a little about yourself, Jade."

[Gnrlshrimp]

"I guess it's like puberty. Only more sudden and worse." Michalson scratches his beard. "Worst part about that, for me, was trying to grow facial hair. It's damnably difficult when you're a half-elf. This took me ten years and more work than most anything I've done in my life."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think the work was worth it? It looks pretty good on you." Ithuriel isn't sure how much the compliment means, coming from her, but it doesn't hurt to say it at least, right? "It's kind of weird going the other way. You know for the first, uh, several years of my life, I'm not entirely sure how many, I thought I was just a rhino? Never knew I could be anything else."

"Huh, really? I've never heard of it before." That wasn't really that surprising though. Kestrel might have had some plant knowledge thanks to her childhood on a farm and a touch of ranger training, but there was plenty she didn't know still. On top of that, she was still new her. This Euphoria fruit thing probably didn't exist where she came from.

She eyed the bag of coin with some surprise. "I already said I was in! Danger doesn't change that. Makes me more interested, actually. Where's the fun in adventure without a little risk? "But uh, you sure about the coin? I mean, I haven't even done anything yet..." Kestrel still felt Atreyu was being too generous to her- after all, he had already purchased her dinner!

"It ain't like I'm offerin' you a king's ransom or anything, Missy." Atreyu answers with a chuckle, "Enough to keep ya from needin' to stock up on breadsticks for a little while, at least. Just that, since I'm not sure exactly what we're in for, I reckon it'd be kinda harsh to just give you a share of the loot. This way, I'm making sure yer paid, even if we don't find much of value in there."

[bc56]

"I'm a 26 year old female kitsune. I graduated from University of Illinois with a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering. I wasn't female or a kitsune at the time. I have a twin brother now that I didn't a few months ago and suffer from amnesia. But you knew most of that. I hold 15 separate patents for various holographic and hardlight projection devices. I like running and swimming,I lift weights in my spare time. I have a sort-of boyfriend, but I'm not really sure. We spent a lot of time together in the time I have amnesia about. He's a lot closer to me than I am to him." Jade looks a little crestfallen at that. "Weird things keep happening to me, and I don't know why. Magic is confusing and I don't like it." She's trying to bring this back to a brighter tone.

[5a Violista]

June holds her breath so that she doesn't laugh. Moroi-ing. Yeah, now that both of them have said it, that word does sound a little funny.

Anyway.
She closes her eyes and 'feels' around the space around them, trying to figure out where this mysterious voice is, in relation to them. Sounds like nearby. So...well, it's weird. If it was just a ghost, she should've noticed it by now. A moroi, or whatever that's supposed to be...maybe? Maybe they're not actually in the same space and this is just one of the weird things of the Nexus? If they leave the bathroom, would they end up being in the same space? There's just way too many questions and not enough answers.

"So besides mapping the whole place out, what's your plan now?" she asks.