Subject: Tom shrugged
Author:
Posted on: 2017-11-14 12:33:54 UTC
"Didn't really want to start anything. Just making conversation."
Subject: Tom shrugged
Author:
Posted on: 2017-11-14 12:33:54 UTC
"Didn't really want to start anything. Just making conversation."
The PPC Halloween party was just beginning to get underway. Agents mingled here and there, some sitting at tables and chatting over food, others milling around the room, dancing and admiring each other's costumes. A long table full of sweets and snacks was set up along the back wall of the ballroom, and in the corner was a tub of apples floating in cold water. A cloud of live bats fluttered about the ceiling, à la Hogwarts, and spooky music oozed softly from speakers disguised as Jack-o'-lanterns set around the room.
Or, more accurately, a nearby agent dressed in a big pointy hat and gray cloak who was carrying a long staff. This, combined with the long ragged white beard Peregrin had already had, made him look rather like Gandalf.
"We have plotholes. That is, arbitrarily large amounts of candy, if you happen to think that is a good idea. I would not recommend it, but, well, I am not you."
A skinny young man in a dark blue suit and brown coat walked up to the kids, grinning. "I agree with the kid in the silverware hat, candy's really the best part of Halloween. Certainly the only part I ever paid attention to. I'm Chris, by the way. Pleasure to meet you."
"I love your costumes," said a mid-sized brown horse. "Someday I'd like to try making one of my own, but when you have illusion magic you don't really need to. Tell me--" she turned to the girl in khakis "--are you dressed as anyone in particular or just a generic explorer?"
Anne smiled at the pony, ignoring her partner. "It's supposed to be like what Gabe and Sari wore to Egypt in The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb. They're two of the heroes from my home continuum!"
Harry and Numbuh 3721 glared at Gandalf!Peregrin. The girl said, "No, you certainly aren't us. You're an adult, which means you aren't capable of grasping the truly fun aspects of this holiday. Or of candy-binging. Why don't you go check the table for boring foods? I bet they'll have some nice broccoli over there for adults." Harry snickered.
"I don't think I ever introduced myself. I'm Ami Seeker, a My Little Pony unicorn. Chris said the theme this year was enduring characters, so I cast a spell to look like Epona. She's Link's horse from various Zelda games."
"Where are you guys from, anyway?" asked Chris. "I guess the silverware hat is supposed to be a clue but I'm drawing a blank. I'm from the Pokémon verse, myself. I almost went as James Bond, but my partner Miguel wouldn't let me wear his suit." He pouted. "Killjoy."
"And there might have been something like whatever this is in our history somewhere, but we did not have it in the maths from what I know." Peregrin clarified.
"Now, all I have managed to gather is that Haloween involves costumes, scary things, and candy. These seem ... rather unrelated. Bridge me over, please."
"Where I'm from, both the costumes and the candy are to keep the spirit of Nightmare Moon--that's Princess Luna's superpowered evil side, by the way--from eating us. The costumes fool her into thinking there aren't any ponies around, and the candy is insurance."
Chris was even more dazed at the explanation. "What...? What the heck kind of place is the Kids Next Door-verse, anyway?"
"It is not much stranger than anything else the multiverse has come up with."
"After you, then?" he asked.
In response to Anne's explanation of Henry's speech patterns, he said "That would explain why Henry sounds like several hundred years of intense linguistic blending, at least by my world's standards as I know them."
Catching up, she hesitated and laughed at herself. "This might be silly, but I'm running with it anyway. Would you permit me to make you a rather ostentatious, slightly personal gesture? You'd need to take a knee..."
(( One final item on the RP Goals checklist, if it is permitted. {= ) ))
"I see no harm in such a thing. Very well." He bent to one knee in front of Jenni. "What is it that you had in mind?"
"Not really," she said sheepishly. "I... my partner wanted us to come here, try and... make me talk to people." She sighed. "It's not really working out too well right now."
((Heh, is fine. Ix is probably a few posts away from losing her nerve and bolting unless something happens to change her mind anyway.))
"Can you also endeavor not to spit on anybody?" asked Tom.
"I thought that was implied."
"It wouldn't necessarily kill them..."
Tom sighed. He pulled a spare metal plate off his costume. "Thoth, demonstrate, would you?"
Thoth took the plate and spit on it. The liquid sizzled, bubbling ominously and leaving a hole in the plate. "My spit is acid. It is occasionally useful, although sometimes inconvenient."
"And," said Tom, "it's a good charge for any Sue who endeavors to kiss a Space Marine - rare, but fun when it happens. Or rather, popping the into a reality room afterwards is fun." He looked at Derik. "Oh. Sorry..."
"Ah! Well, anyways, it doesn't always work - Space Marine biology is poorly defined at best, sometimes the acid is something they can control - but it's nicely ironic when it does. Unless of course the Sue is also a Space Marine. Which is between one and five charges in and of itself..."
Thoth nodded. "A Sue who dares to think itself an Astartes deserves no less than a painful death. Possibly prolonged." He took a long swig of mjød.
Charlotte pointed to Derik and Ix in turn before giving a slightly sarcastic thumbs-up.
Ix, cringing, pulled out her wand and cast a drying charm on Derik, apologizing profusely as she did so.
"An additional psychic on hand would lessen the risks significantly," he said. "If Derik would give me his hand, we may begin, provided you have numbweed on hand."
Tom shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."
Ix swallowed. "I'm not very good at scary grins... or any grins..."
((Can we start an angst-off? Please? Pleeease? I promise I'll behave myself.))
"I really stopped believing you about your abilities a while back, Ix. You have a nasty habit of selling yourself short." He grabbed a sip of Coke. "Go on, give it a go. I'm sure you're good at it."
((You can try for an angst off, but Tom may not cooperate.))
"People get upset with me when I show my teeth," she added, fiddling with her rose. "They think I'm going to hurt them when I do."
"Why? Are they pointy? Or just horrible? Come on, now I have to see!"
(( Gall, neither. She does not care about other people's insecurities. It's part of her... charm. {= )
(( Just to clarify, Thoth is sitting at this point? ))
Ix raised a shaking hand and pushed her upper lip away from her teeth. They were perfectly normal, if a little large in the front.
She dropped her hand and tugged her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "Happy now?"
"Why're you hiding? That's nothing to be ashamed of." He paused. "Rather charming, really."
A shadow fell over her face, and for a moment, she actually looked rather wolfish. "The one time I snapped at someone, it... didn't end well for me."
She swallowed when the others returned to the group. "I'm sorry," she said again to Derik.
((Yes, I know, it's a cliche 'shadow of the wolf' trope I did there, but it's happened to Lupin and I'm totally cribbing here. :P))
"THAT was scary." He turned to Thoth. "Thoth, that was scary, right?"
"No." said Thoth. "No it was not."
Tom laughed. "Don't worry. He always says that." He turned to Ix. "So anyways, how have you been doing?"
Ix glanced around and swallowed. "Just fine. What did I do that was scary? I won't do it again, I'm sorry..."
"You need not leave if you do not wish to do so, brother." Thoth noticed Derik's injury. "Your hand has been injured. Do you wish me to attempt to repair it?"
Tom stared at his partner as if the marine had sprouted an extra head.
((I am assuming that Derik's hand is visible...))
Ix bit her lip. "It's just, you don't look so... good. Right now, at this moment. I'm sure you look quite nice normally. Not that I'd think you look nice—I mean—I do—I mean—I have a girlfriend," she mumbled, face bright red.
"You have a girlfriend? That's fantastic, Ix! Who is it?"
Thoth did not respond significantly to the hand upon his pauldron. But there might have been a hint of a smile on his face.
((Yes, Tom doesn't know Ix has a girlfriend. IIRC, he may not have even met Charlotte.))
She quailed under Gall's glare and forced herself to focus on Tom. "She's a Twilight vampire... she came as Christine today... um..." She swallowed again and glanced at Derik. "Sorry. Um. Continue, please?"
((If Ix knew Gall thought she was going after Derik, she'd probably cry. :P))
"I'm sure she's very nice. I'm happy for you, Ix."
He turned to Derik. "Of course. If you want, continue."
Thoth simply nodded his assent at that last statement.
"Gods and demons... Derik, I'm sorry. We've all lost friends, but... I couldn't imagine..." He trailed off.
Thoth merely stood silently. His focus didn't seem to be on the world around him, or anywhere close.
"Thank you," he said.
Tom turned to look at Gall, his face displaying a horrified expression. "They fried Ecto Cooler? Good god, that's horrifying. What will they do next? Dip Doritos in Mountain Dew?"
A blond boy dressed as a dragon rider, accompanied by a blue fire-lizard perched on his shoulder, approached, munching on one of the same green fritters. "This is supposed to be a party, not a therapy session." Alex shoved the rest of the pastry in his mouth, cheeks bulging, and he held up his fingers for Zeke to lick.
Zeke lifted off his shoulder and flew over to Jenni, chirping happily.
Alex turned to Tom. "Alex Dives, DoSAT," he said, and jerked a thumb at the fire-lizard. "And the little guy is Zeke. He's generally pretty friendly, but he'll bite your fingers if they smell good."
Zeke turned his head to Derik, eyes whirling with shades of green and blue.
"They almost put me in DoSAT! Then they decided not to. Something about 'danger to fellow agents,' or whatever." He shrugged.
Thoth, meanwhile, was staring intently at Alex, trying to discern why he had such an affect on Derik.
Alex stepped forward, putting a hesitant hand on Derik's shoulder. "I mean, he was the runt of his litter. Hatching? Thing?" He swallowed; though he was tall, both Derik and Gall were obviously stronger than he was, and he didn't want to get between them if they started trading blows.
((You're fine! Zeke's a pretty playful and friendly little guy. He'll give anyone the time of day if they give him scritchies.))
He placed his hand upon Derik's back. "I would not suggest this course of action. And I think you would regret it."
Meanwhile, Tom walked over to the dragon. "Hi, Zeke!" he said. He gently stroked the beast. "Aww... He's adorable!"
The little blue puffed his chest out proudly.
"You alright?" Alex asked Derik anxiously. "I, um. I can leave, if you'd feel more comfortable." He whistled, and Zeke took off to land on his shoulder once more.
He peered at Zeke enthusiastically. "I don't think I've ever seen a dragon or a fire-lizard before..." He turned to Alex. "What do you feed him?"
Thoth kept his hand on Derik. "Perhaps you should sit. You seem to slightly unstable. If you wish, you may tell me your tale."
You're getting the story, because I want to see how Derik will tell it. He's a Harper at heart, and inclined to ramble in his current state, so it's gonna take time. But don't worry, I'm not quitting. {= )
~Neshomeh
Alex made a face. "Stinks up my RC to high heaven. It's awful. I give him bits of my own food as a treat, sometimes." He tickled Zeke's eyebrow ridges, and the blue crooned. "They nest near the beach in their home continuum, so lots of fish. I can't stand the stuff, personally."
"He's usually a lot... colder. Very distant. Not so much right now. Maybe it's the alcohol."
Thoth nodded at Derik. "I am glad that I could assist. Thank you for telling me your tale."
Theo asked, aware he'd probably butchered how the drink was meant to be said. "It sounds like a decent drink for this competition. Regular ale may be good enough for one like you," he tilted his head towards Tom, "but I've got a few tricks of my own up my sleeve."
"All right, four contestants, I'll be judging, anyone else joining?" said Tom. "In addition, do we give a handicap to the mortals?"
"I vote against," said Thoth, earning him a glare frim Tom.
He polished off the last mouthful of his pumpkin ale. "I've already handicapped myself. Against most people, I'd say that was fair, but..." He eyeballed Thoth and shrugged. "I suppose a man must sometimes fight a losing battle if only to say he fought." He stuck out his free hand to Tom. "Derik, by the way. My partner is Gall. Our response center is number 1110. If we both pass out, please make sure we get back there."
Gall rolled her eyes. "Ugh, defeatist. Haven't you ever heard the expression 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'?"
"Hey Derik, Gal." Tom shook Derik's had firmly. "Tom, and my that's partner Thoth. RC 65536+3i."
He scratched his head. "Anyways, I guess we're up for the first drink. For the mortals, Mjød or regular?"
Zeb paused, sniffing as he inspected the masked figure. "It's the Detective!"
"Ahaha, I think you must be mistaken," the Aviator said, putting a green hand on Zeb's mane and trying to steer him away.
"Your pheromones just spiked, so I know it's him!" Zeb said happily. "Hi, Dee! How're you doing?"
"Dee, Dee," Elanor said, waggling her silver slippered feet as she tried to get down from the Aviator's arms.
. . . said the Detective, removing his mask and tucking it under one arm and smiling slightly at the assembled agents, "It's good to see you all again. It's been a while."
"Hey, Zeb! Ave! Ellie!" called Jack over the crowd, making his way through to see them.
The Aviator pushed back her wide-brimmed witch's hat with a sigh. "Been a while, hasn't it?" She raised her eyebrows and cast a subtle warning glance at a happily oblivious Zeb.
"What's your costume supposed to be?" Zeb asked the Detective. "Are you a stunt rider for a motorcycle?"
"But with all respect, since Ave's the Wicked Witch of the West, Dee should be the scarecrow. Because that would make him Fiyero and her Elpheba!"
"F--k's sake, I should have known better than to show you Wicked," the Aviator groaned. "Detective, I'm going to the food table if you want to join me. Without our partners," she added pointedly.
who neatly sidestepped Jack's lunging index finger.
"Sure," he said, turning to the Aviator mid-step without missing a beat and making for the food tables, gesturing for the Aviator to step alongside him.
"Wonder what she wants to talk about," Jack said, leaning conspiratorially toward Zeb.
Zeb's tail wagged. "Like how much they can't wait to be alone later!"
"We've really got to figure out what we're doing," the Aviator said once she and the Detective were out of earshot. "Because this, this thing we're keeping up? Where we try to not let our partners know what's up but everyone knows? I just wanted to enjoy this party... maybe with you, but not with this hanging over my head."
"Ah," he said at last, realization dawning. It had never occurred to him that someone might not be comfortable leaving things in such a nebulous state, but if something definitive was what the Aviator needed, he thought, he could adapt.
"This thing," he said, realizing that none of what he'd thought had actually traversed the conduit from brain to mouth, "As you so charmingly put it, is whatever either of us need it to be. But since that's usually the grounds for any relationship," he continued, taking her hand, "I think it definitely follows that's what this is."
He craned his neck very unsubtly in an attempt to see what was going on.
The Aviator rocked back on her heels. Her face felt very hot, but she squeezed the Detective's hand in return. "Good to know," she said, looking down at Elanor. The Time Tot was more interested in trying to chew on her shoes than anything else at that moment. "We should, erm, probably head back to our partners, then?"
A startlingly perfect recreation of Mystique approached Marina, her teeth startlingly white against her blue skin. "Harry Dresden, unless I'm mistaken?" She held out a hand. "Dax. Just... Dax. Intelligence."
"Name is Marina and yep, I'm a wizard. A rather easy disguise, eh? That said, how did you guess it? Irony aside, a brown trenchcoat, a silver babble and a staff aren't that distinctive."
"But taken all together, it's pretty obvious," Dax said. "I like it, though—it looks like you put a lot of effort into it. I just cheated on mine."
"'Efforts'? I... pretty much leaped on the idea while my partner was agonizing between disguises. The staff is a work in progress, and I took the coat and amulet he had prepared. He's the guy wandering around there, with the black coat, the mask and the curly hair. He cheated too, but belive me, that's for the better for him. I didn't really care for a particular disguise at the time, and was fully ready to go as myself and tell I was actually disguised as a wizard. Richard pointed out how ironic it was that I was one coat away from being disguised as Dresden, and the idea was just impossible to ignore. Besides, it did help him to make his own choice. He was thinking about throwing a dice to make his decision before that."
Dax's cheeks somehow managed to go an even darker shade of blue. "I'm terrible at sewing anything larger than tears in a cloak, so I kind of cheated and went naked." She nodded at Marina. "That, though—that's impressive. I was able to recognize it immediately, after all, and that's the important thing, yeah?"
"Yes, that's the important part." She looked a bit more closely the other woman's 'disguise'. "So, shapeshifting. Well, you know where I come from, but what about you?"
Dax grinned widely. "Eberron, specifically. I'm a changeling—I'd show you what I can do, but I think without all the scaly bits people would get a little upset at me."
"My partner is constently going through sourcebooks of different roleplaying games he can found, you wouldn't believe how many systems he knows. And there is one on my world too, and he has a character for it! Bad enough when I discovered it was a fiction centered on that guy Dresden. The way the Council sees him... is very different from the books."
Dax laughed. "Never would have guessed that. Still, at least your protagonist is cool—when people think of D&D, they tend to think of that Drizzt." She spat out the name like it was a curse.
Richard had been joining back his partner once he had seen her at the bar. He looked less subdued as usual behind a mask and a disguise.
"I recently discovered a web serial where the author try some mix of western and heroic fantasy, and Drizzt is the drow word for cliché there. I found that really funny."
Dax grinned and held out a hand. "I'm guessing you're Marina's partner? I'm Dax. Intelligence."
"If you need a Phantom Thief during this little fiesta, I'm all yours. Not doing hearts, though. Don't have the app."
"You're... livier than usual," Marina said slowly.
"Give the guy a break—what's better than having some time to just attend a party with new friends and take a load off from work?"
"Just morph my vocal cords to that of a siren, and then everyone's falling all over themselves to say how great I am." She grinned unabashedly. "Maybe they'll have it at this year's winter holidays party."
"Dunno—we never had anything like this back home, so I'm not really sure what to expect. I've heard all about trick-or-treating; is this what you meant when you were talking about tricks?"
Dax looped her arm through Marina's. "We're not gonna leave you out! That'd just be rude! If you don't want to do the tricksy stuff, got any other ideas in mind?"
"So, um, funny story? There's no processed sugar where I come from? So whenever I eat candy, I get... really weird. Just as a head's-up."
"It can't be that terrible," Richard said. "I mean, going to a Halloween party and being unable of eating candies? That would be ridiculious. I'm sure it will be fine."
"Like, massive sugar high," Dax said, grimacing. "Who knew sugar was literally addictive to changelings?"
"Feels like it lasted for days."
Charlotte tugged Ix to a stop and pointed. "And... I dunno who the other guy is."
"I think he's from World of Warcraft," Ix muttered so only Charlotte could hear.
"Oh! Warcraft guy, got it! Hi!" Charlotte waved.
Both her hands were now full of food (both on a paper plate and not), and she was chipmunking some more, but quickly swallowed and pushed the stuff she had in her hands onto Matt.
"For safekeeping," she said, taking a brief glance at the amount of food in her partner's hands. She then casually strolled towards the pair.
"Hiya! Whoa, that is a sweet Phantom costume!" She grinned widely.
"I, er, thank you!" Ix said, the unmasked half of her face lighting up in a smile. "I really like yours, too!"
"I'm Charlotte Webb," Charlotte said, holding out a hand. "And this is my girlfriend-slash-partner, Ix. ESAS."
"Izzy— Yeesh, cold," she mumbled quickly, looking down at the other girl's hand, but quickly shrugged it off and continued shaking Charlotte's hand. "Izzy Thawne. Floater."
She then jerked her thumb towards the food table. "And my food keeper... I mean, uh, mission partner over there is Matt. Used to cook in the Cafeteria, but I convinced him to switch departments! Anywho, care to join us for some food?"
Charlotte glanced at Ix.
"I, erm, I guess?" Ix said.
"I can't eat," Charlotte said apologetically. "Vampire."
Then, in what seems like a messy blend of red-and-black blur, she snatched the food from her partner's hands.
Matt flinched slightly, and glanced at Izzy. "I'll never get used to this..." He then cleared his throat, and looked at the newly-arrived. "Um... hey."
Charlotte waved, then seemed to remember she was in costume and executed a perfect curtsey. "Pretty cool party, isn't it? Last year they had a band of live skeletons! Or, uh, undead skeletons? It was cool. What've you got there?" she asked, nodding at Matt's goodies.
"Ix didn't want to go, so we stayed in the RC," Charlotte said. "It's nice, though, isn't it?"
"Sure is," Ix agreed. "Kinda wish we'd come, but..." The unmasked half of her face reddened. "I don't get out much."
"I wouldn't be roaming the literary worlds if not for this one." He pointed his thumb at Izzy, smiling. "I still don't know why she keeps me around."
Izzy, who finally got caught between one eating moment and another, grinned and wrapped her hand around her partner's neck. "Come on, you've been a great help!"
"Yeah... In making you food, definitely." Matt looked to the side, blushing slightly.
"You smell like the Speed Force—that kind of ozony smell, you know? And that would explain all the food."
"Charlotte, you can't just tell people that," Ix whispered.
"Why not? I'm just asking," Charlotte said.