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Story Hour
Between the Shadow and the Light (Updated February 26, 2023)
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<blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 8903742" data-attributes="member: 16760"><p>New Scene: Get Sir Reginald's story. Interrupt!</p><p></p><p>Move away from a thread: Free Ryan and Jake from the darkhound curse. [Hmmm. Well, we haven't heard from the vampire in a while...]</p><p></p><p>Q(Likely): Does the vampire try to snatch Ryan? EXCEPTIONAL YES.</p><p></p><p>Ryan didn't seem able to share in the general joy... the strain of it all was getting to him in a big way. Jon was the first to notice that the young man was coming unglued: "Ryan? Are you okay?"</p><p></p><p>No sooner had he said it, when a dark batlike form blotted out the stars and swooped for Ryan with blurring speed. The boy cried out and threw up his hands to shield his face.</p><p></p><p>Paddy and Pete shared a virulent hatred of vampire-kind, and for the same reason; they reacted faster than anyone else, though Hezekiah was only a quarter-heartbeat behind them. Silver bullets, a Lumen Dei spell, and a silver-chased throwing knife all sped for the Shadow-spawn.</p><p></p><p>Q(Unsure): Does it succeed in grabbing Ryan? NO.</p><p></p><p>Q(No Way): Do we put it down? EXCEPTIONAL NO - and a Random Event! [I rolled a 99.]</p><p></p><p>NPC Action: Brother Hezekiah. Deceive/Power. [Huh! That changes my whole picture of what's going on.]</p><p></p><p>The vampire shrieked in agony, buffeting its bat-wings about Ryan, but Hezekiah abruptly shouted, "'Ware trickery! It's not real!"</p><p></p><p>ComplexQ: So what's really going on? Persecute/Magic.</p><p></p><p>Jon had raised his own piece, but at Hezekiah's warning quickly scanned his surroundings. "Pete! He's after Jake again!"</p><p></p><p>ComplexQ: Gimme a more specific idea, here! Celebrate/News. [What. No really: What.]</p><p></p><p>Jake was convulsing, much as Pete had earlier. Pete laughed wildly as the illusion faded out. "Weirdly enough, this is good news!" They all stared at him, but he said, "I'll explain shortly. Hold Jake down. Ryan, you okay?"</p><p></p><p>Q(Very Unlikely): Is he? YES.</p><p></p><p>Ryan was shaking like a leaf, but he nodded violently. "Y-yeah, Pete. I'll be fine. Help Jake, he feels really weird!"</p><p></p><p>Pete handed Ryan off to Sir Robert, then knelt by Jacob. "Hey bro. Hang in there." He shared vitality with his brother again, since they were both under the curse now anyway.</p><p></p><p>Q(Unsure): Does it work? YES.</p><p></p><p>Everyone relaxed as Jake's convulsions quieted and stopped as Pete chanted over him; Pete took the wave of exhaustion stoically. Jon asked, "So how is this good news again?"</p><p></p><p>Pete sighed wearily. "Think, Jon. Azazel's getting desperate. He keeps trying to push us off balance, and he keeps failing. Plus, he's only ever gone after me and Jake for real so far; he wants to jump-start his power source again. He's running scared." He looked to Hezekiah. "How'd you know, anyway?"</p><p></p><p>The older man snorted eloquently. "I've known the tumble of a knife since before you were in your mother's womb, boy. Azazel evidently hasn't - or at least not well enough to fool me."</p><p></p><p>Paddy spat. "He could be faking, getting us to lower our guard." Pete shook his head. "I've <em>met</em> the guy. He's all about the dominance displays. While he can be sneaky, I don't think he's that flavor of sneaky."</p><p></p><p>Q(Somewhat Likely): Is Pete's analysis mostly correct? EXCEPTIONAL YES.</p><p></p><p>Q(Likely): There's still at least one important piece he's missing though, right? YES.</p><p></p><p>Pete then called to the forgotten head: "What do you think, Reggie? You're being quiet all of a sudden."</p><p></p><p>NPC List: Mark, Ryan, Goat, Billy, the illusionist/Azazel, Thomas, Fr. Leo, Jake, vampire, Jamie's memory, Teresa, Paddy, Jon, Kate, Brother Hezekiah, Sir Athanasius, Sir Malcolm, Sir Reginald.</p><p></p><p>Thread List:</p><p></p><p>Free Ryan and Jake from the darkhound curse.</p><p>Free myself, for that matter.</p><p></p><p>Chaos Factor: 7 -> 6</p><p></p><p>New Scene: Talking things out with Reggie, take 3. Altered Scene!</p><p></p><p>Q(Unsure): Is Sir Reginald still there? YES.</p><p></p><p>Q(Unsure): Something new come out here? YES.</p><p></p><p>The head was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay, you're not far wrong. But you're not completely right, either."</p><p></p><p>Pete went and picked it up. "How'd you end up on that wall, Reggie?" "I assaulted the castle with other Knights..." Pete shook the head slightly. "Yeah, but they're not talking to us. Why you?"</p><p></p><p>With a sigh, "Okay, you got me. I energized Azazel back in the day." "How?" "I didn't know it at the time. All I knew was that I was crazy-jealous of this other Knight of my Chapter, Alain des Marches. The guy had everything... What?"</p><p></p><p>Pete was laughing bitterly; everyone else just stared. Sir Reginald asked, "No really, what?" "Alain was my many-times-great-grandfather, Reggie. Peter Demarche, pleased to meet you."</p><p></p><p>The thing's eyesockets widened. "No sh*t? You're the Count?" "My dad is, sort of. French Revolution and all." "You're the heir, though?" "Yep." "AND a mage. AND I'll wager you've brought Invictus. Crap. No wonder Azazel wants you so bad!"</p><p></p><p>"Getting greedy, is he?" "Well... he's always been greedy. But yeah, he's out for the really big score this time." "So what was I wrong about?"</p><p></p><p>ComplexQ: Yeah, what? Malice/Love. [Hmmm.]</p><p></p><p>"He loves matching wits and wills with mortals. Outwitting us, defeating us, crowing over us. Or should I say 'them' now, I dunno? You've beaten him a few times in that department, so he's probably pissed, yeah. But I dunno if 'desperate' is quite the right term. He's good. Well... skilled, anyway. Don't get too cocky, is what I'm saying."</p><p></p><p>Pete smiled. "I'm not going to get scared either, whatever you say." Paddy barked a laugh. "Good man!" The head rolled its eyesockets. "I'm on your side, dude! I mean, I don't hold out a whole lot of hope - I've had hopes dashed too many times - but I'm stuck here until Azazel goes down."</p><p></p><p>Q(Very Unlikely): Is that the unvarnished truth? EXCEPTIONAL NO.</p><p></p><p>Q(Very Likely): Still, he's more than Azazel's sock-puppet, right? EXCEPTIONAL YES.</p><p></p><p>Q(Impossible): Wait, Azazel isn't HIS sock-puppet, is he?! NO. [Whew!]</p><p></p><p>ComplexQ: What's the nature of their relationship? Celebrate/Stalemate. [WHOA!]</p><p></p><p>Pete said, "Maybe you are and maybe you aren't, but..." Hezekiah said gruffly, "Enough banter with the damned thing, Demarche. We've got a job to do." Jon nodded. "He's right, Pete."</p><p></p><p>Pete ultimately nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Hmm. We could chop him up, he doesn't seem able to die or feel pain, but he's still the image of God... Paddy, you mind giving our dead brother a proper burial? With some relatively tight burial bands?" The young man grinned ferally. "My pleasure." Pete told the head, "Sorry, Reggie. Nothing personal." The thing sighed. "Mother always said I'd end up in a shallow grave, but I don't think this is what she meant..." Sir Robert grinned. "Nope. You've definitely gotten ahead in this world!" "You think you're funny, don't you?"</p><p></p><p>When Paddy was done, there was only a mound of earth to remind one of Sir Reginald - though it was anyone's guess how long he'd stay there. He put a hand to his chest and declaimed, "Alas, poor Reggie, I knew him, Horatio."</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile Pete studied Jake's limp form. "Worth a try, I guess, and turnabout is fair play..." Then he turned the volume way up and shouted in his best Sir Martin impression, "Rise and shine, lazybones! You gonna let your sissy mage brother run you into the ground?!" (Sir Robert stifled a laugh - he'd learned under Sir Martin too.)</p><p></p><p>Q(No Way): Does it work? EXCEPTIONAL YES. [Another really lucky roll! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />]</p><p></p><p>Jake stirred and mumbled, "You yell... like a sissy... alright." "So get up and show me how it's done!" "Yeah, yeah..." He was really unsteady on his feet, but he did manage to stand with Pete's offered hand.</p><p></p><p>"How much do you remember?" "I've, guh. I've been awake. Just... busy." "I know the feeling." "Yeah. An' thanks... all of you." The brothers gathered and pounded him on the back.</p><p></p><p>--------------------------</p><p></p><p>[Just adding a little mini-scene here, that seems to fit: ] </p><p></p><p>Jon drew Ryan aside. "Are you really okay?" The boy was trembling hard. "I don't know how you guys take it so easily." Jon told him seriously, thinking of the psychic wounds so many of his brothers in arms bore, "Easily? No. But we have more practice than you do."</p><p></p><p>"I'm gettin' a crash course, I guess!" "Yes. What you're feeling now is adrenaline. It will pass." "It's not just that. I... pissed myself, when that thing came at me. I was scared." "That only means you're human. If you weren't terrified in that situation, I'd be truly worried for you." "You telling me that Paddy guy would be scared?"</p><p></p><p>Jon's grave tone did not alter. "Perhaps not. But then, I'm truly worried for him, and have been for as long as I've known him." Ryan stared at him in wonder. "Why?" "He's broken inside. He is strong, but I fear he is brittle. ... Peter nearly went the same way, and for much the same reason. But he is strong in a different way, a way that I trust. So are you."</p><p></p><p>Ryan's shoulders slumped. "I don't feel strong." "And that is why I trust it. Remember this, Ryan: Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing the right thing in spite of fear. A man who is never afraid can never be brave."</p><p></p><p>"I don't know if I can do the right thing, though!" "Really? Your part in this was done, we were fully prepared to send you back - but you stayed." "You couldn't spare anyone to send with me." "No. But we would have anyway. You talked us out of it; and you gave good reasons too. Have you changed your mind?"</p><p></p><p>"I... don't know." "That's not a 'yes'. And Ryan: We can't spare you, either." Ryan stared at him. "You mean that." "I do. Come on, our brothers are waiting." Ryan followed him back, chin held a little higher. [And I don't think I'm going to be calling him a 'boy' any more, either.]</p><p></p><p>NPC List: Mark, Ryan, Goat, Billy, the illusionist/Azazel, Thomas, Fr. Leo, Jake, vampire, Jamie's memory, Teresa, Paddy, Jon, Kate, Brother Hezekiah, Sir Athanasius, Sir Malcolm, Sir Reginald.</p><p></p><p>Thread List:</p><p></p><p>Free Ryan and Jake from the darkhound curse.</p><p>Free myself, for that matter.</p><p></p><p>Chaos Factor: 6 -> 5</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 8903742, member: 16760"] New Scene: Get Sir Reginald's story. Interrupt! Move away from a thread: Free Ryan and Jake from the darkhound curse. [Hmmm. Well, we haven't heard from the vampire in a while...] Q(Likely): Does the vampire try to snatch Ryan? EXCEPTIONAL YES. Ryan didn't seem able to share in the general joy... the strain of it all was getting to him in a big way. Jon was the first to notice that the young man was coming unglued: "Ryan? Are you okay?" No sooner had he said it, when a dark batlike form blotted out the stars and swooped for Ryan with blurring speed. The boy cried out and threw up his hands to shield his face. Paddy and Pete shared a virulent hatred of vampire-kind, and for the same reason; they reacted faster than anyone else, though Hezekiah was only a quarter-heartbeat behind them. Silver bullets, a Lumen Dei spell, and a silver-chased throwing knife all sped for the Shadow-spawn. Q(Unsure): Does it succeed in grabbing Ryan? NO. Q(No Way): Do we put it down? EXCEPTIONAL NO - and a Random Event! [I rolled a 99.] NPC Action: Brother Hezekiah. Deceive/Power. [Huh! That changes my whole picture of what's going on.] The vampire shrieked in agony, buffeting its bat-wings about Ryan, but Hezekiah abruptly shouted, "'Ware trickery! It's not real!" ComplexQ: So what's really going on? Persecute/Magic. Jon had raised his own piece, but at Hezekiah's warning quickly scanned his surroundings. "Pete! He's after Jake again!" ComplexQ: Gimme a more specific idea, here! Celebrate/News. [What. No really: What.] Jake was convulsing, much as Pete had earlier. Pete laughed wildly as the illusion faded out. "Weirdly enough, this is good news!" They all stared at him, but he said, "I'll explain shortly. Hold Jake down. Ryan, you okay?" Q(Very Unlikely): Is he? YES. Ryan was shaking like a leaf, but he nodded violently. "Y-yeah, Pete. I'll be fine. Help Jake, he feels really weird!" Pete handed Ryan off to Sir Robert, then knelt by Jacob. "Hey bro. Hang in there." He shared vitality with his brother again, since they were both under the curse now anyway. Q(Unsure): Does it work? YES. Everyone relaxed as Jake's convulsions quieted and stopped as Pete chanted over him; Pete took the wave of exhaustion stoically. Jon asked, "So how is this good news again?" Pete sighed wearily. "Think, Jon. Azazel's getting desperate. He keeps trying to push us off balance, and he keeps failing. Plus, he's only ever gone after me and Jake for real so far; he wants to jump-start his power source again. He's running scared." He looked to Hezekiah. "How'd you know, anyway?" The older man snorted eloquently. "I've known the tumble of a knife since before you were in your mother's womb, boy. Azazel evidently hasn't - or at least not well enough to fool me." Paddy spat. "He could be faking, getting us to lower our guard." Pete shook his head. "I've [I]met[/I] the guy. He's all about the dominance displays. While he can be sneaky, I don't think he's that flavor of sneaky." Q(Somewhat Likely): Is Pete's analysis mostly correct? EXCEPTIONAL YES. Q(Likely): There's still at least one important piece he's missing though, right? YES. Pete then called to the forgotten head: "What do you think, Reggie? You're being quiet all of a sudden." NPC List: Mark, Ryan, Goat, Billy, the illusionist/Azazel, Thomas, Fr. Leo, Jake, vampire, Jamie's memory, Teresa, Paddy, Jon, Kate, Brother Hezekiah, Sir Athanasius, Sir Malcolm, Sir Reginald. Thread List: Free Ryan and Jake from the darkhound curse. Free myself, for that matter. Chaos Factor: 7 -> 6 New Scene: Talking things out with Reggie, take 3. Altered Scene! Q(Unsure): Is Sir Reginald still there? YES. Q(Unsure): Something new come out here? YES. The head was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay, you're not far wrong. But you're not completely right, either." Pete went and picked it up. "How'd you end up on that wall, Reggie?" "I assaulted the castle with other Knights..." Pete shook the head slightly. "Yeah, but they're not talking to us. Why you?" With a sigh, "Okay, you got me. I energized Azazel back in the day." "How?" "I didn't know it at the time. All I knew was that I was crazy-jealous of this other Knight of my Chapter, Alain des Marches. The guy had everything... What?" Pete was laughing bitterly; everyone else just stared. Sir Reginald asked, "No really, what?" "Alain was my many-times-great-grandfather, Reggie. Peter Demarche, pleased to meet you." The thing's eyesockets widened. "No sh*t? You're the Count?" "My dad is, sort of. French Revolution and all." "You're the heir, though?" "Yep." "AND a mage. AND I'll wager you've brought Invictus. Crap. No wonder Azazel wants you so bad!" "Getting greedy, is he?" "Well... he's always been greedy. But yeah, he's out for the really big score this time." "So what was I wrong about?" ComplexQ: Yeah, what? Malice/Love. [Hmmm.] "He loves matching wits and wills with mortals. Outwitting us, defeating us, crowing over us. Or should I say 'them' now, I dunno? You've beaten him a few times in that department, so he's probably pissed, yeah. But I dunno if 'desperate' is quite the right term. He's good. Well... skilled, anyway. Don't get too cocky, is what I'm saying." Pete smiled. "I'm not going to get scared either, whatever you say." Paddy barked a laugh. "Good man!" The head rolled its eyesockets. "I'm on your side, dude! I mean, I don't hold out a whole lot of hope - I've had hopes dashed too many times - but I'm stuck here until Azazel goes down." Q(Very Unlikely): Is that the unvarnished truth? EXCEPTIONAL NO. Q(Very Likely): Still, he's more than Azazel's sock-puppet, right? EXCEPTIONAL YES. Q(Impossible): Wait, Azazel isn't HIS sock-puppet, is he?! NO. [Whew!] ComplexQ: What's the nature of their relationship? Celebrate/Stalemate. [WHOA!] Pete said, "Maybe you are and maybe you aren't, but..." Hezekiah said gruffly, "Enough banter with the damned thing, Demarche. We've got a job to do." Jon nodded. "He's right, Pete." Pete ultimately nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Hmm. We could chop him up, he doesn't seem able to die or feel pain, but he's still the image of God... Paddy, you mind giving our dead brother a proper burial? With some relatively tight burial bands?" The young man grinned ferally. "My pleasure." Pete told the head, "Sorry, Reggie. Nothing personal." The thing sighed. "Mother always said I'd end up in a shallow grave, but I don't think this is what she meant..." Sir Robert grinned. "Nope. You've definitely gotten ahead in this world!" "You think you're funny, don't you?" When Paddy was done, there was only a mound of earth to remind one of Sir Reginald - though it was anyone's guess how long he'd stay there. He put a hand to his chest and declaimed, "Alas, poor Reggie, I knew him, Horatio." Meanwhile Pete studied Jake's limp form. "Worth a try, I guess, and turnabout is fair play..." Then he turned the volume way up and shouted in his best Sir Martin impression, "Rise and shine, lazybones! You gonna let your sissy mage brother run you into the ground?!" (Sir Robert stifled a laugh - he'd learned under Sir Martin too.) Q(No Way): Does it work? EXCEPTIONAL YES. [Another really lucky roll! :)] Jake stirred and mumbled, "You yell... like a sissy... alright." "So get up and show me how it's done!" "Yeah, yeah..." He was really unsteady on his feet, but he did manage to stand with Pete's offered hand. "How much do you remember?" "I've, guh. I've been awake. Just... busy." "I know the feeling." "Yeah. An' thanks... all of you." The brothers gathered and pounded him on the back. -------------------------- [Just adding a little mini-scene here, that seems to fit: ] Jon drew Ryan aside. "Are you really okay?" The boy was trembling hard. "I don't know how you guys take it so easily." Jon told him seriously, thinking of the psychic wounds so many of his brothers in arms bore, "Easily? No. But we have more practice than you do." "I'm gettin' a crash course, I guess!" "Yes. What you're feeling now is adrenaline. It will pass." "It's not just that. I... pissed myself, when that thing came at me. I was scared." "That only means you're human. If you weren't terrified in that situation, I'd be truly worried for you." "You telling me that Paddy guy would be scared?" Jon's grave tone did not alter. "Perhaps not. But then, I'm truly worried for him, and have been for as long as I've known him." Ryan stared at him in wonder. "Why?" "He's broken inside. He is strong, but I fear he is brittle. ... Peter nearly went the same way, and for much the same reason. But he is strong in a different way, a way that I trust. So are you." Ryan's shoulders slumped. "I don't feel strong." "And that is why I trust it. Remember this, Ryan: Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing the right thing in spite of fear. A man who is never afraid can never be brave." "I don't know if I can do the right thing, though!" "Really? Your part in this was done, we were fully prepared to send you back - but you stayed." "You couldn't spare anyone to send with me." "No. But we would have anyway. You talked us out of it; and you gave good reasons too. Have you changed your mind?" "I... don't know." "That's not a 'yes'. And Ryan: We can't spare you, either." Ryan stared at him. "You mean that." "I do. Come on, our brothers are waiting." Ryan followed him back, chin held a little higher. [And I don't think I'm going to be calling him a 'boy' any more, either.] NPC List: Mark, Ryan, Goat, Billy, the illusionist/Azazel, Thomas, Fr. Leo, Jake, vampire, Jamie's memory, Teresa, Paddy, Jon, Kate, Brother Hezekiah, Sir Athanasius, Sir Malcolm, Sir Reginald. Thread List: Free Ryan and Jake from the darkhound curse. Free myself, for that matter. Chaos Factor: 6 -> 5 [/QUOTE]
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