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High Fantasy Modern Storyhour - The Long Road (updated December 7)
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<blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 2299568" data-attributes="member: 63"><p><em>October 29, 2005</em></p><p><em>10:24 am</em></p><p></p><p>Terry has joined up with Scarpedin and Serena. Scarpedin doesn't like the company.</p><p></p><p>"So why are you following me?" he asks.</p><p></p><p>Serena laughs. "Don't give him a hard time. Ren Fests are more fun, the more people you have."</p><p></p><p>Terry shrugs. "You don't have to worry about competition, if that's what it is. I just am a little, well, nervous."</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin glares. "What do you mean? Is somebody following you? I mean, I know that guy from the bus who looks like Mos Def has been hanging around."</p><p></p><p>"Who?" Terry asks.</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin points. Behind them, standing near one of the innumerable stalls selling turkey legs and mead, the black man with the iPod looks away suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck to seem inconspicuous. A crowd of women in bustiers walk between them, and when they pass the man who looks like Mos Def is gone.</p><p></p><p>It only takes them a moment to see that he has run to hide in a nearby store.</p><p></p><p>"Whoever he is," Serena says, "he's incompetent. So is this a game you guys are up to?"</p><p></p><p>Terry shakes his head. "No game. Um . . . I don't want to say too much, but yeah, there are some guys after me."</p><p></p><p>"And why?" Scarpedin stands tall and intimidating, demanding an answer.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, dammit." Terry grimaces. "I'm not going to get into it, but . . . well, two days ago, someone close to me was killed, and I've been on the run."</p><p></p><p>Serena puts a hand to her mouth. "Seriously? Have you told the cops?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, cops." Scarpedin grins, thinking he's caught Terry in a lie. "Why haven't you told the cops, Terry?"</p><p></p><p>"Look, forget I said anything." </p><p></p><p>Terry starts to walk away, and Scarpedin shrugs. A moment later, though, Terry is back, and he looks worried.</p><p></p><p>"Actually," he says, ". . . Scarpedin, right? Something about you seems a little . . . well, for some reason I think you might actually understand this. I . . . I can't go to the cops because the people who are after me . . . have powers."</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin hesitates, wanting to ask but afraid he knows the answer. "What kind of powers, Terry?"</p><p></p><p>". . . Magic powers?" Terry says.</p><p></p><p>"Dammit!"</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>It takes a few minutes for Scarpedin to settle down, but once he does, Terry can't get him to stop asking questions. He demands to know if Terry can do magic too. Serena just watches in amusement, not believing any of it. Finally, fed up with being asked so many questions, Terry gives Scarpedin what he wants.</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin feels a tap on his shoulder, and he turns to see who it is. Terry is standing behind him, when a moment before he was standing in front of him.</p><p></p><p>"Whoa," Scarpedin asks, "how did you do that?"</p><p></p><p>Terry glares. "Hey, you told me to do magic."</p><p></p><p>"Sh*t, I <em>knew</em> you were a wizard. Terry frikkin' Potter."</p><p></p><p>Terry rolls his eyes. "To hell with you."</p><p></p><p>"What else can you do?" Scarpedin asks. "I knew something was weird about you. First the Elf, then the black cat, and now Hogwarts."</p><p></p><p>"I don't need this," Terry says. "Look, I just wanted someone to escort me and make sure that guy from the bus doesn't get too close."</p><p></p><p>There is a change in Scarpedin, a tensing of anger. Something old and long-denied struggles within him, and he almost growls.</p><p></p><p>"<em>'Escort'</em>? Dammit, you would use that term. F*cking code of chivalry!"</p><p></p><p>Serena raises a hand. "Wait a sec. Did I just see you disappear?"</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin ignores her as his tantrum continues. "Fine! I'll protect you! I'll do my duty to the wizard! God, I told myself I wouldn't get involved in this again!"</p><p></p><p>Terry frowns. "You alright man? Hey, honestly, maybe I'll go ask someone else for protection."</p><p></p><p>Serena snaps her finger. "Oh, I've got it! Scarpedin's a knight. Well, if you're going to act like a knight, we might as well get you dressed like a knight."</p><p></p><p>"No." Scarpedin's deep voice is full of confliction. "I'm not a knight. I don't wear armor. I don't joust. I don't buy things with silver coins. I wear denim. I . . . dammit, I drive a motorcycle. And I have a credit card. No."</p><p></p><p>Serena and Terry have backed away a little, but Scarpedin shrugs.</p><p></p><p>"Nevermind," he says. "Sure, Terry. Fine. I'll protect you."</p><p></p><p>"Like a knight?" Terry asks.</p><p></p><p>In the distance, trumpets sound. Serena smiles.</p><p></p><p>"Hey," she says, "the joust. Let's go check it out."</p><p></p><p>"No way," Scarpedin says. "I need to see Terry here do more magic. Can you, like, shoot fireballs from your eyes?"</p><p></p><p>Terry smiles. "I'll show you magic if you joust, 'Sir Knight.'"</p><p></p><p>"Fine," Scarpedin growls. "Let's go."</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin leads the way toward the joust, and Terry looks to Serena with surprise. "I wasn't serious," he says.</p><p></p><p>Serena just grins.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>Elsewhere in the Ren Fest, things are not quite as interesting for Robert, John, and Belladonna. John and Belladonna shop for curios, Belladonna showing a great interest in herbalism shops. John chain-smokes, declining food when Bella brings up the topic. More to Belladonna's consternation, though, John also declines bourbon when Belladonna finds a vendor who's selling it. Feeling charitable, Belladonna buys a round for everyone nearby, and then she and John wander over to the joust, which seems to be drawing a crowd.</p><p></p><p>Robert's quarry did not follow him into the ambush, so he gave up and just wandered the festival, amused at how these people spend their lives. Eventually the sound of trumpets lures him to the joust. In the distance he hears cheers from people drinking free bourbon, but his attention is focused on a familiar face on one of the horses.</p><p></p><p>"How'd you manage this?" Robert asks.</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin, mounted on the red knight's strong horse, shrugs. The jousting field is separated from the audience by a low wooden fence, with the seats divided into sections for each of the 8 knights. On the far side of the jousting field, a second floor stage seats the Ren Fest's king and queen, plus attendants. The red knight, looking remarkably Texan with his helmet off, laughs at Scarpedin. Terry and Serena stand in the front row of the seats for the red knight's audience.</p><p></p><p>Serena says, "He looks great. He's going to joust."</p><p></p><p>The red knight shakes his head. "No way. He might be good on a horse, but he can't joust without armor, and . . . heh . . . 'less you got a few thousand bucks, you ain't gonna find armor for him."</p><p></p><p>"Loan me yours," Scarpedin says.</p><p></p><p>Robert asks, "You <em>want</em> to do this?"</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin harrumphs. "<em>Yeah</em>. You got a problem with that?"</p><p></p><p>"Oh, no, no." Robert chuckles. "You're jousting. That's cute."</p><p></p><p>The red knights says, "Y'can't have my armor."</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin looks down at Terry. "Can't you fix this, Terry? Come on, Terry. Make him give me his armor. Use your magic, Terry."</p><p></p><p>Robert turns a casual, curious eye to Terry.</p><p></p><p>"Hey, Scarpedin," Terry says. "We kinda need to keep a low profile about that, y'know? It attracts attention."</p><p></p><p>"What are you talking about?" Scarpedin shakes the reigns. "I need armor if I'm going to joust. Just, like, charm him or something."</p><p></p><p>Robert interrupts. "Excuse me. You can do <em>magic</em>?"</p><p></p><p>Terry forces on a smile, starts to answer, then shakes his head. He leans close to Scarpedin and says, "You're going to get me killed."</p><p></p><p>"I'm protecting you from those other knights," Scarpedin says, waving grandly to the green, brown, and black knights. "Just make him give me some damned armor so I can joust."</p><p></p><p>The red knight is confused. "What the hell you talkin' bout, man?"</p><p></p><p>Rolling his eyes, Terry concentrates and</p><p></p><p><em>suddenly</em>, everyone finds something else to do.</p><p></p><p>Cel phones go off and people answer them. Children cry out and distract parents' attentions. Ice cream drips and gets on pants. People hear their name called and look to see who it was. Like a wave sweeping across the crowd, everyone looks away for just one moment. Everyone except Serena, Scarpedin, and Robert. And when that moment ends and everyone goes back to whatever they were paying attention to before, Scarpedin is wearing red plate armor.</p><p></p><p>"Um. . . ," Robert says. He nods and says, "Hm."</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin cackles. "I told you. C'mon, Terry, do some more tricks, man."</p><p></p><p>Robert turns to Terry. "I could have sworn he wasn't wearing armor a second ago. In fact, I will swear that he wasn't."</p><p></p><p>Belladonna arrives just then with John. She sees Robert's confusion and asks, "What's the problem, boys?"</p><p></p><p>Grinning atop his horse, Scarpedin says, "Terry can do magic, and Robert's not handling it well."</p><p></p><p>Robert puts on a face of complete acceptance. "Oh, no. I'm fine. He can do magic. I'm fine with that.</p><p></p><p>"What I'm not so sure about is . . . you're going to <em>joust</em>? Yeah, that's what I'm worrying about right now."</p><p></p><p>To Scarpedin, Terry says, "You'll be fine. The armor's just an illusion, but I also put on a defensive spell to deflect attacks."</p><p></p><p>Terry looks around nervously. Serena's enthralled. Belladonna is asking Robert to explain, and Robert has the look people get when they just accept the impossible with a bit of crazy disbelief. John smokes a cigarette, impassive.</p><p></p><p>Scarpedin pats the horse and gestures toward the other knights. "Well, I'm gonna joust now. Wish me luck."</p><p></p><p>Serena stands up on the wooden fence, takes a silver pin out of her hair, and tucks it behind Scarpedin's ear. She smiles.</p><p></p><p>"A lady's favor. Good luck."</p><p></p><p>A chorus of 'good lucks' come up. No one quite pays attention to the real red knight, who has some objections. The joust is about to start, and they don't have time to change riders.</p><p></p><p>Trumpets blare, and Scarpedin Jones, knight of King Arthur's court turned modern biker from New Mexico, jousts for the glory of England. The Texans don't stand a chance.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong><em>End of first session.</em></strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RangerWickett, post: 2299568, member: 63"] [i]October 29, 2005 10:24 am[/i] Terry has joined up with Scarpedin and Serena. Scarpedin doesn't like the company. "So why are you following me?" he asks. Serena laughs. "Don't give him a hard time. Ren Fests are more fun, the more people you have." Terry shrugs. "You don't have to worry about competition, if that's what it is. I just am a little, well, nervous." Scarpedin glares. "What do you mean? Is somebody following you? I mean, I know that guy from the bus who looks like Mos Def has been hanging around." "Who?" Terry asks. Scarpedin points. Behind them, standing near one of the innumerable stalls selling turkey legs and mead, the black man with the iPod looks away suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck to seem inconspicuous. A crowd of women in bustiers walk between them, and when they pass the man who looks like Mos Def is gone. It only takes them a moment to see that he has run to hide in a nearby store. "Whoever he is," Serena says, "he's incompetent. So is this a game you guys are up to?" Terry shakes his head. "No game. Um . . . I don't want to say too much, but yeah, there are some guys after me." "And why?" Scarpedin stands tall and intimidating, demanding an answer. "Ah, dammit." Terry grimaces. "I'm not going to get into it, but . . . well, two days ago, someone close to me was killed, and I've been on the run." Serena puts a hand to her mouth. "Seriously? Have you told the cops?" "Yes, cops." Scarpedin grins, thinking he's caught Terry in a lie. "Why haven't you told the cops, Terry?" "Look, forget I said anything." Terry starts to walk away, and Scarpedin shrugs. A moment later, though, Terry is back, and he looks worried. "Actually," he says, ". . . Scarpedin, right? Something about you seems a little . . . well, for some reason I think you might actually understand this. I . . . I can't go to the cops because the people who are after me . . . have powers." Scarpedin hesitates, wanting to ask but afraid he knows the answer. "What kind of powers, Terry?" ". . . Magic powers?" Terry says. "Dammit!" [center]***[/center] It takes a few minutes for Scarpedin to settle down, but once he does, Terry can't get him to stop asking questions. He demands to know if Terry can do magic too. Serena just watches in amusement, not believing any of it. Finally, fed up with being asked so many questions, Terry gives Scarpedin what he wants. Scarpedin feels a tap on his shoulder, and he turns to see who it is. Terry is standing behind him, when a moment before he was standing in front of him. "Whoa," Scarpedin asks, "how did you do that?" Terry glares. "Hey, you told me to do magic." "Sh*t, I [i]knew[/i] you were a wizard. Terry frikkin' Potter." Terry rolls his eyes. "To hell with you." "What else can you do?" Scarpedin asks. "I knew something was weird about you. First the Elf, then the black cat, and now Hogwarts." "I don't need this," Terry says. "Look, I just wanted someone to escort me and make sure that guy from the bus doesn't get too close." There is a change in Scarpedin, a tensing of anger. Something old and long-denied struggles within him, and he almost growls. "[i]'Escort'[/i]? Dammit, you would use that term. F*cking code of chivalry!" Serena raises a hand. "Wait a sec. Did I just see you disappear?" Scarpedin ignores her as his tantrum continues. "Fine! I'll protect you! I'll do my duty to the wizard! God, I told myself I wouldn't get involved in this again!" Terry frowns. "You alright man? Hey, honestly, maybe I'll go ask someone else for protection." Serena snaps her finger. "Oh, I've got it! Scarpedin's a knight. Well, if you're going to act like a knight, we might as well get you dressed like a knight." "No." Scarpedin's deep voice is full of confliction. "I'm not a knight. I don't wear armor. I don't joust. I don't buy things with silver coins. I wear denim. I . . . dammit, I drive a motorcycle. And I have a credit card. No." Serena and Terry have backed away a little, but Scarpedin shrugs. "Nevermind," he says. "Sure, Terry. Fine. I'll protect you." "Like a knight?" Terry asks. In the distance, trumpets sound. Serena smiles. "Hey," she says, "the joust. Let's go check it out." "No way," Scarpedin says. "I need to see Terry here do more magic. Can you, like, shoot fireballs from your eyes?" Terry smiles. "I'll show you magic if you joust, 'Sir Knight.'" "Fine," Scarpedin growls. "Let's go." Scarpedin leads the way toward the joust, and Terry looks to Serena with surprise. "I wasn't serious," he says. Serena just grins. [center]***[/center] Elsewhere in the Ren Fest, things are not quite as interesting for Robert, John, and Belladonna. John and Belladonna shop for curios, Belladonna showing a great interest in herbalism shops. John chain-smokes, declining food when Bella brings up the topic. More to Belladonna's consternation, though, John also declines bourbon when Belladonna finds a vendor who's selling it. Feeling charitable, Belladonna buys a round for everyone nearby, and then she and John wander over to the joust, which seems to be drawing a crowd. Robert's quarry did not follow him into the ambush, so he gave up and just wandered the festival, amused at how these people spend their lives. Eventually the sound of trumpets lures him to the joust. In the distance he hears cheers from people drinking free bourbon, but his attention is focused on a familiar face on one of the horses. "How'd you manage this?" Robert asks. Scarpedin, mounted on the red knight's strong horse, shrugs. The jousting field is separated from the audience by a low wooden fence, with the seats divided into sections for each of the 8 knights. On the far side of the jousting field, a second floor stage seats the Ren Fest's king and queen, plus attendants. The red knight, looking remarkably Texan with his helmet off, laughs at Scarpedin. Terry and Serena stand in the front row of the seats for the red knight's audience. Serena says, "He looks great. He's going to joust." The red knight shakes his head. "No way. He might be good on a horse, but he can't joust without armor, and . . . heh . . . 'less you got a few thousand bucks, you ain't gonna find armor for him." "Loan me yours," Scarpedin says. Robert asks, "You [i]want[/i] to do this?" Scarpedin harrumphs. "[i]Yeah[/i]. You got a problem with that?" "Oh, no, no." Robert chuckles. "You're jousting. That's cute." The red knights says, "Y'can't have my armor." Scarpedin looks down at Terry. "Can't you fix this, Terry? Come on, Terry. Make him give me his armor. Use your magic, Terry." Robert turns a casual, curious eye to Terry. "Hey, Scarpedin," Terry says. "We kinda need to keep a low profile about that, y'know? It attracts attention." "What are you talking about?" Scarpedin shakes the reigns. "I need armor if I'm going to joust. Just, like, charm him or something." Robert interrupts. "Excuse me. You can do [i]magic[/i]?" Terry forces on a smile, starts to answer, then shakes his head. He leans close to Scarpedin and says, "You're going to get me killed." "I'm protecting you from those other knights," Scarpedin says, waving grandly to the green, brown, and black knights. "Just make him give me some damned armor so I can joust." The red knight is confused. "What the hell you talkin' bout, man?" Rolling his eyes, Terry concentrates and [i]suddenly[/i], everyone finds something else to do. Cel phones go off and people answer them. Children cry out and distract parents' attentions. Ice cream drips and gets on pants. People hear their name called and look to see who it was. Like a wave sweeping across the crowd, everyone looks away for just one moment. Everyone except Serena, Scarpedin, and Robert. And when that moment ends and everyone goes back to whatever they were paying attention to before, Scarpedin is wearing red plate armor. "Um. . . ," Robert says. He nods and says, "Hm." Scarpedin cackles. "I told you. C'mon, Terry, do some more tricks, man." Robert turns to Terry. "I could have sworn he wasn't wearing armor a second ago. In fact, I will swear that he wasn't." Belladonna arrives just then with John. She sees Robert's confusion and asks, "What's the problem, boys?" Grinning atop his horse, Scarpedin says, "Terry can do magic, and Robert's not handling it well." Robert puts on a face of complete acceptance. "Oh, no. I'm fine. He can do magic. I'm fine with that. "What I'm not so sure about is . . . you're going to [i]joust[/i]? Yeah, that's what I'm worrying about right now." To Scarpedin, Terry says, "You'll be fine. The armor's just an illusion, but I also put on a defensive spell to deflect attacks." Terry looks around nervously. Serena's enthralled. Belladonna is asking Robert to explain, and Robert has the look people get when they just accept the impossible with a bit of crazy disbelief. John smokes a cigarette, impassive. Scarpedin pats the horse and gestures toward the other knights. "Well, I'm gonna joust now. Wish me luck." Serena stands up on the wooden fence, takes a silver pin out of her hair, and tucks it behind Scarpedin's ear. She smiles. "A lady's favor. Good luck." A chorus of 'good lucks' come up. No one quite pays attention to the real red knight, who has some objections. The joust is about to start, and they don't have time to change riders. Trumpets blare, and Scarpedin Jones, knight of King Arthur's court turned modern biker from New Mexico, jousts for the glory of England. The Texans don't stand a chance. [b][i]End of first session.[/i][/b] [/QUOTE]
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