The Ref

<Sid> mmm

<Sid> falafel

<Elliott> You're eating

<Elliott> a deathlord?

<Sid> yes

<Sid> Before I can write up his stats, I must first devour his Essence.

<ADamiani> … all deathlords should have cute food nicknames.

<Sid> the Macaroon of Winters?

<Sid> The Silver Blintz?

<Elliott> Eye and Seven Donuts

<Sid> The Princess Clamnificent?

<RandBrittain> Walker in Danish.

<ADamiani> The Bodhisattva Anointed by Dark Chocolate.

<Elliott> Mmmm

<Elliott> Can that be one of my Anchors?

<ADamiani> …

<ADamiani> Sadly, that seems kind of legit.

  • Elliott is now known as Nico

<RandBrittain> The Delicatessen Clad in Uncooked Veal and Some Other Complicated Part Of Her Name

<Sid> 3e needs a voodoo Deathlord

<Nico> Marie Laveau

<ADamiani> Cinniman Thurible.

<Nico> Lemme write Voodoo Deathlord

<Sid> Doctor Facilier with Void Circle Necromancy would be a better villain than, like, 3/4 of the current D-Lords

  • ADamiani is now known as Pascale

<Nico> Convince the Hamster to make this happen.

<Nico> Speaking of the Hamster

<Nico> Do we need to conjure and abjure him by the might of this old, wooden stirring spoon?

<Pascale> Again with the abjuration!

<RandBrittain> And the scrubbing brush of protection!

  • You are now known as Hollyhock God

<Pascale> brb

<Sid> I propose that today we find the Power of Heteronormativity, and punch him in the dick

<Nico> I propose that we storm the gates of heaven and enslave a race of Ambrosia Elementals

<Hollyhock God> I shall give Holden two more minutes and then go check on my rice.

<Nico> Or we could find and spar with John Delancie.

<Hollyhock God> Saffron rice is an important part of my powers!

<Hollyhock God> But while we wait, I guess we should consider what you've been doing with the Deceiver you found!

<Hollyhock God> Has he had his shots?

<Hollyhock God> Excrucian ownership is a big responsibility!

<Sid> We should probably be dosing him with some kind of fear-suppressing drug

<Nico> Am I still somewhat dismembered?

<Hollyhock God> Rather!

<Hollyhock God> Although the chocolate exoskeleton is assisting the healing process.

<Nico> Awww.

<Hollyhock God> Maybe you've decorated it up a bit?

<Hollyhock God> Nothing says "unflappable" like encasing yourself in a big chocolate golem.

<Pascale> "Maybe some sprinkles?

<Nico> I don't think that's quite Nico's style, though.

<Sid> give it a Dia de Los Muertos theme

<Sid> white chocolate bones

<Nico> And I'm still basically tapped out on Domain, I think

<Hollyhock God> You can make choc'late the old-fashioned way!

<Hollyhock God> Anyway, your MP refresh with a new story.

<Nico> How does one go about changing Bonds?

<Nico> Because I'm realizing that some of mine are as useful as spit.

<Hollyhock God> You can do it between stories.

<Hollyhock God> Seriously, though, you need some kind of mechanism for successfully teaching this Excrucian the power of friendship.

<Hollyhock God> Or whatever it is that you do with heroes of justice that you capture.

<Nico> How long has it been since we caught him?

<Hollyhock God> Let us say, a night!

<Sid> Did we ever decide on what our general monster reformation facilities are like?

<Hollyhock God> Theoretically Arkham-ish. In practice I suspect you don't have the heart for anything really nasty.

<Nico> So I'm not all cut up then:P

<Hollyhock God> Beyond that, details would be lovely!

<Sid> I imagine we'd have locked him up in a big, cage-y isolation cell, because Excrucian.

<Nico> Yes.

<Sid> And probably try to pacify him somehow. Mood-altering drugs in his water, Lesser Sacrifices of Halloween, etc.

<Nico> Well, he's still frozen in candy carbonite.

<Sid> Could Nico whip up some mood-altering candy?

<Pascale> Yeah. I assume he's fear-blocked?

<Nico> Nico could whip the hell up out of that.

<Nico> Yeah.

<Pascale> Our whole chancel is kind of reformatory….

<Hollyhock God> That's good containment but poor friendship!

<Nico> Nico's off in his candy wonderland sanctum cackling up evil psychotropic toffee.

<Hollyhock God> In general, I suspect that drugs and stuff are good but not sufficient to hold him if he's left unattended.

<Pascale> We're not set up to befriend all monsters, though we're set up to reform/contain them in such a way as to make them monstrous but not, you know, monstrous.

<Pascale> In general, I assume if he can't be unattended he's in stasis or dead.

<Sid> If no one else wants to volunteer, Sid will play warden.

<Pascale> Permanently?

<Sid> For the time being. Until we can work out a more lasting solution.

<Hollyhock God> Well, are you ready to break him out of the carbonite? I'm not sure what that involves. Nico would know!

<Nico> We could see if Niall has anything to make him more orderly

<Hollyhock God> Hm!

<Hollyhock God> How does Nico call people, anyway?

<Nico> Hm?

<Nico> Call?

<Pascale> Isn't carbonite a lasting solution?

<Hollyhock God> Terrifying monsters never stay imprisoned.

<Hollyhock God> That's like, a law of Halloween.

<Pascale> Assuming Caviel can't whammy him somehow?

<Hollyhock God> I mean, how would Nico contact Christmas?

<Hollyhock God> Caviel's whammy would be more like: sooner or later you can find a rapport with this creature.

<Nico> Nico's not the best choice for contacting people.

<Hollyhock God> It's not helpful for short-term keeping things from swording you.

<Nico> I am still pushing for slagging him into exotic components for terrible ritual candies.

<Hollyhock God> You should push IC!

<Sid> Getting an Imperial Miracle behind us would be useful

<Nico> Well

<Nico> I can do us an Imperial Miracle

<Nico> If I could figure out what the Hell those even were

<Pascale> Make a declarative statement.

<Nico> I hate people who cut me up!

<Pascale> ….

<Pascale> No, like, "This does X"

<Pascale> For an imperial miracle.

<Hollyhock God> You know how miracles kind of come in sets?

<Hollyhock God> Like, lesser/great?

<Pascale> I assume you already hate people who cut you up.

<Hollyhock God> Imperial miracles are the greater form of "wielding destiny".

<Nico> You just said make a declarative statement!

<Pascale> You asked how to make an imperial miracle!

<Nico> …That's more helpful.

<Nico> @Rand's analogy.

<Nico> Hmmm.

<Pascale> So: "The sword wins the fight" "The candy makes him a good person" "My Rocket Car Brings Peace And Justice to Quebec"

  • Nico returns to the chamber where the Excrucian is suspended in sugar hibernation, tracklighting set up to maximize the refractive properties of his crystalline casket. He opens the Book of Blood and Chocolate, looking to his family.

<Hollyhock God> Yeah, Treasure gets the Imperial stuff because it sits between the immediacy of Domain and the complexity of Aspect.

<Nico> "This is the spell that will bind him to the laws of the Chancel."

  • Holden (~ten.tsacmoc.lf.1dsh.AE8ABBCC-ratScigaM|_SLH#ten.tsacmoc.lf.1dsh.AE8ABBCC-ratScigaM|_SLH) has joined #spookygods

<Sid> Sid goes along with Nico, an unlit cigarette dangling jauntily from the corner of his mouth. He gives the candy-crystal tomb a good kick.

<Hollyhock God> Hm. How does the Book's magic work, then, if it can do that?

<Pascale> He's anchoring him.

<Nico> It's Aztec in nature, so it's drawing on old rituals for blood-letting that preserve the laws of the natural world.

<Nico> Oh god. Anchoring an Excrucian is the worst idea.

<Pascale> ("My shop is a wonderland of delights unlike anything else in the world [3]")

<Pascale> oops, wrong property

<Pascale> ("My roommates and employees are probably un-things from the Beyond [2]")

<Pascale> If you offer him a job…

<Nico> I don't want to!

<Holden> (Ffffffffffffffffffffff)

  • Holden is now known as Jane

<Nico> That's probably the best solution

<Nico> But Nico doesn't like this guy at all.

<Jane> (Never been late to a game in my life before. This is a new and exciting time for new and exciting forms of fail. What's going on?)

<Hollyhock God> We're debating how to rehabilitate the Deceiver you caught.

<Pascale> (We're determining the disposition of Lambkin)

<Hollyhock God> Nico favors rehabilitating him into several pieces.

<Pascale> (And Nico has just rejected the best solution)

<Hollyhock God> Sid has offered to be warden.

<Jane> (Okay, where are we doing this?)

<Hollyhock God> Pascale is, I dunno, calling up Niall to find some kind of anti-naughty containment collar or something.

<Sid> Dungeony room in the Chancel.

<Pascale> What?

<Pascale> Niall?

<Hollyhock God> Christmas!

<Hollyhock God> Big fella. Keenly aware about naughty/nice issues.

<Pascale> Right, but I didn't say anything about that?

<Hollyhock God> No, I'm just assuming you're initiating schemes somewhere.

<Hollyhock God> All secret-like.

  • Jane wanders in from Pascale-knows-where, stopping to take in the sight of the rest of her Familia gathered around a rock-crystal-candy entombed Lambkin. She then takes in the distinctly dungeon-like room. "Hey. Is keeping him stowed in an intimidating sort of room a good idea? What's up?"

<Pascale> (I'm not really OOC-interested in spending a lot of time hassling with what to do with him, so I'm cool with whatever. I supposed offering him a job'd get it over and done with)

<Hollyhock God> Yeah, I don't wanna spend a huge amount of time on it, either.

<Nico> Nor do I.

<Hollyhock God> Let it be an early Christmas present, then!

<Hollyhock God> FedEx arrives with an auspiciously-timed package addressed to Pascale.

<Pascale> So, the magic potions of the Book of Blood And Chocolate….

<Hollyhock God> Or that.

<Nico> Eh.

<Nico> Those are lame.

<Hollyhock God> Just pick some kind of mildly-effective solution like one of those handsome monkey headbands and we'll go with it.

<Nico> …

<Nico> We are do bad

<Nico> at things

<Sid> Santa sent us magic weed

<Pascale> And it is resolved off camera. Moving on…..

<Sid> We force Lambkin to smoke it and now he's super chill

<Pascale> Just offer him a damned job.

<Hollyhock God> Fine! Headband it is.

<Pascale> He is now your anchor, you can make him do—

<Pascale> Really?

<Jane> what sort of job :o

<Pascale> Cashier.

<Jane> We have a shop?

<Nico> I DON'T WANT HIM IN MY WONDERLAND OF CANDY.

<Jane> I like a little shop.

<Pascale> Nico does.

<Hollyhock God> Niall sends you an early Christmas present of one of those things you can make him wear so that actually trying to kill you will give him a migraine.

<Hollyhock God> That's the kind of intuition a santa has!

<Jane> Jane's willing to get a bit pushy on this topic fyi :X

<Pascale> Which way is Jane pushing?

<Jane> also a candy shop is probably one of the few places in the whole chancel unlikely to be completely terrifying

<Jane> although given Nico, that's not certain

<Hollyhock God> Now you will have to mind him carefully but won't need a full muster to avoid a swording.

<Hollyhock God> But anyway!

<Hollyhock God> While this is going on, Pascale has been texting furiously!

<Jane> Pascale: She wants a fixer-upper project.

<Hollyhock God> This attracts your attention.

<Nico> Nico's shop isn't scary.

<Jane> That makes it probably the only sensible place in the Chancel to stow him then

<Jane> Unless you are particularly enamored of the idea of our dungeons coming to life and going on a deadly rampage

<Sid> We could just stick some floral wallpaper on the cell

<Sid> Dump some stuffed animals

<Jane> There's that too

<Sid> Pretty sure one of us could magic those up.

<Pascale> Yes. But they'd be scary and/or gummy stuffed animals.

  • Jane is distracted by the sounds of thumb-typing. "What's up?"

<Pascale> "Hmh? One second… Thanking Paolo for the note. In the book. Earlier."

<Hollyhock God> You're very welcome!

<Hollyhock God> Yet Paolo seems… distracted.

<Hollyhock God> Your keen eye for social networking tells you that he is responding to your texts slowly because his mind is on something else! Something even more important than talking to you, somehow!

<Pascale> Happens.

<Nico> It's probably dude stuff.

<Pascale> Oh, geez. Dude stuff.

<Nico> (Which one was Paolo?)

<Hollyhock God> Wisdom.

<Sid> (Wisdom)

<Hollyhock God> He share's Pascale's tendency to be carded and also her tendency to be mildly ignored!

<Hollyhock God> Sadly, no sooner have you wondered about what his deal is than you find yourself knowing the answer.

<Pascale> Or in this case to be mildly ignoring me.

<Hollyhock God> He's concerned about his Sibling, Canaan, who has gone missing and possibly crazy.

<Pascale> "Oh, geez.

<Nico> Pascale is totally going to be someone's terrible ex.

<Pascale> Text: SRY 2 HR BOUT CANN.

<Sid> Canaan!

<Sid> Sid steals Pascale's cellphone—or, failing that, pulls out his own—and sends Paolo an offer to help find his sib.

<Pascale> What?

<Pascale> … how do you know this?

<Jane> oh god

<Jane> gods texting

<Pascale> Well, Pascale texts. I mean. Obviously.

<Jane> the text from dog of the Nobilis

<Pascale> ?

<Hollyhock God> "Curses! I should have mentioned the subject to you so that you wouldn't know about it."

<Sid> Oh. Assuming Pascale mentions that aloud.

<Hollyhock God> "Let me make an open offer to tell you any other secrets I have, which you will hopefully be too ladylike to take me up on."

  • Nico takes the opportunity to consider whether or not an iPhone would make him happy. He decides no, it really wouldn't.

<Pascale> Text: NT SURE UR CLEAR ON CONCEPT: I M SECRETS.

<Jane> ( XD )

<Hollyhock God> "Wait, wouldn't that work? More curses!"

<Pascale> "So, hey, are you guys done playing with Lambkin or whatever?"

<Pascale> Text: RNT U WISE 2 THAT R SMTHNG?

<Nico> "Are we sure that no one's on board for me to just, like, melt him? Anyone?" Nico asks.

<Sid> "Naaah. I'd feel bad."

<Sid> "He may be a reality-destroying bodhisattva from beyond Creation, but he's…kinda pathetic."

<Pascale> "I thought we were supposed to be an OK place for monsters to be without being monstrous," Pascale asks, without looking up from her phone.

<Nico> "…He dismembered me."

<Hollyhock God> "Sadly, the truly wise know that failure is sometimes inevitable."

<Hollyhock God> "But maybe you can assist us in our personal troubles?"

<Nico> "I'm just saying, if anyone of you guys had gotten cut open, I'd be out on the revenge train. I'd be the fucking conductor. But no, I get all cut up and everyone wants to invite him for juice and cookies."

<Sid> "It's not like he killed you or anything. Honestly, being a swarm of animated limbs probably makes you cooler."

<Nico> "But I don't like it," Nico says, an equal mixture of scathing demigod and petulant child.

<Pascale> Text: WHT IS UR TROUBLE? LEMME ASK FMILIA.

<Jane> "Also you did kind of disembowel him in return," Jane points out, while attempting to peer over Pascale's shoulder.

<Pascale> "Dude, you're a badass. He came at you, he got his but kicked. It happens."

<Pascale> "Don't you have, like, healing candies?

<Nico> "Man. I'm glad we're not on the frontline of the Valde. We'd all be picnicking with the Pale Riders."

<Hollyhock God> "We seem to have lost Canaan. He has been having some… emotional troubles lately, and something seems to have set him off. I'm worried about him doing something he'll regret."

<Pascale> "I assumed those would be sweet.

<Pascale> "And probably minty…"

<Nico> "Eh. I do have a recipe for ele-mint-als. Never whipped up a batch yet."

<Nico> "They're really more for Christmasy drudgework."

<Sid> "Nico, Nico, Nico…just imagine what it'll be like to have a tame Deceiver on our side. It'll be great!"

<Pascale> "Hey, guys, Paolo's brother's snapped and gone evil and crazy and stuff. Can we just offer the Excrucian an job, get Nico some healing and mood-improving candy, and go help?"

<Nico> "Fine!" Nico says, throwing his hands up in the air.

<Sid> "Deal!"

<Nico> "But may the consequences be upon your head, tiny," Nico says to Pascale.

<Pascale> "I'm not—I mean, if you have a better way to deal with him?"

<Hollyhock God> Meanwhile, with impeccable timing, the rock candy begins to crack.

  • Jane has a method in mind, but it isn't fit for mention in polite company.

<Hollyhock God> Jane's been reading Cosmo, I guess.

<Pascale> "Because if we start killing him, aren't we just…. "

<Sid> 0_0

<Jane> "Anyway, we should definitely go help out with Paolo's evil crazy misguided brother."

  • Nico grabs Lambkin by the scruff of his neck. "C'mon, jerk. I'll show you how to make speculoos."

<Pascale> -_O

<Hollyhock God> "I… don't know what that is!" says Lambkin, disoriented as people suddenly drag him places ranting about speculoo.

<Sid> "He's not evil, just sexy."

<Hollyhock God> "…you think I'm sexy? What?"

<Hollyhock God> "I mean, thanks!"

<Nico> "They're Belgian spice cookies."

<Nico> "They give them out on Delta flights in the continental US."

<Nico> "They are delicious and you will make and sell them to my completely non-monstrous customers."

<Sid> "Not you, Lambkin.

<Hollyhock God> "Aw."

<Hollyhock God> "Wait, I will? But cookies are a lie!"

<Pascale> "Wait, are you saying Nico is sexy?

<Hollyhock God> "A delicious lie you have told yourself to bind yourself into this falsehood called the world."

<Hollyhock God> "Also please let go of my neck."

  • Nico goes from flustered to flushed with amazing speed.

<Nico> "Do I really have you by the neck?" Nico asks. "How do you know necks aren't lies?"

<Hollyhock God> "Regrettably I am mired in falsehood just by being here!"

<Hollyhock God> Lambkin squirms.

<Hollyhock God> "Also you've got chocolate bones, and it's creepy!"

<Hollyhock God> "Who took my sword?"

<Jane> Have we really not fixed that yet?

<Hollyhock God> (It was Pascale.)

<Nico> "Because you took my head off."

<Hollyhock God> The chocolate thing speeds the healing time, but it won't immediately reverse the wound.

<Hollyhock God> "I'm sure I had a good reason!"

<Jane> "I'll uh…" Jane is about to offer to take custody of the prisoner, except she doesn't actually know how to make speculoos.

<Nico> "Fine," Nico says, backing off. He snaps his fingers and is suddenly dressed in clothing spun from the heavenly equivalent of cotton candy, some bright pink-gossamer suit that smells of sweetness and is accented with crystallized honey.

<Nico> "Less creepy now?"

<Hollyhock God> Lambkin is taken aback by your bubblegum suit. "…yes?"

<Pascale> " 'Be not afraid

<Pascale> " 'Be not afraid' "

<Jane> Oh God now there's edible clothing involved this is not making things less weird.

<Nico> "Well, Lambkin, here's the deal," Nico says, setting a hand on the Deceiver's shoulder. "I'm not thrilled about this either. I'm sure you're skeptical. But you're my newest employee."

<Nico> (Worst Imperial Miracle ever)

  • Jane is prioritizing figuring out who's sexy in this scenario, and now suddely turns to Sid. "Wait, Canaan?"

<Pascale> You can now do miracles using an Excrucian.

<Hollyhock God> "I am?" Lambkin performs a quick metaphysical self-test. "Holy crap, I am."

<Pascale> ((You just got Excrucian power on tap. Hot-and-cold-runnig pState)

<Sid> "Canaan. You saw him!"

<Hollyhock God> "Sorry."

  • Nico shows Lambkin to the door linking his Chancel to his shop and gets him set up with some basic recipes to try out before rejoining his Familia.

<Pascale> "What, the skinny kid? Looked about to jump every time someone talked to him? Are you sure we're thinking of the same person?"

  • Nico then looks down. "Great. Now I'm dressed like Willy Wonka's fae-er cousin."

<Pascale> "Anyhow, he flipped out, and I said I'd ask if we can maybe go save-slash-stop him, please?"

  • Pascale glances at Nico.

<Pascale> "Sweeeet."

<Nico> …

<Nico> "I will learn to hate people to death. One glorious day."

<Pascale> ("Oh God now there's edible clothing involved this is not making things less weird." We need a quote file…)

<Pascale> "Come on, gloomy gus. You're back together, right?"

<Hollyhock God> Held together by bubble gum and positive attitude!

<Hollyhock God> And he's all out of positive attitude.

<Nico> (I'm Durant, and the wound was only Serious. So it shouldn't take that long, especially if I sped it)

<Hollyhock God> Anyway, there's evidently a runaway Lightning in need of your attention.

<Hollyhock God> You should probably find him before closing hours at the shop and Lambkin is able to leave.

<Pascale> And Sid was gushing about how hot he was?

<Nico> "So," Nico says, brushing off his suit. "How do we find Diet Thor?"

<Pascale> "Heh. Diet Thor. I like that. So, like, we can go find him?"

<Nico> "How?"

<Nico> "You wanna try and ping him?"

  • Jane frowns. "I could maybe do a survey of dark and stormy nights?"

<Pascale> Text: NICO SEZ HI. N I THINK SID LIKS CANN. WE R IN. TELL US MR?

<Nico> "Well," Nico says, eyes rolling, "we know you really wanna ping someone else…"

<Hollyhock God> "Very well. Is this line secure?"

<Sid> Sid screws up his eyes, mentally querying every bad side of every town as to whether it's seen a brooding, lanky god of thunder.

<Sid> 2DP on a Greater Divination

<Nico> (Which is Free)

<Nico> (Oh wait no)

<Hollyhock God> You find yourself in the bad part of town, every town, but you don't see a… wait, was that a line of lightning moving sideways in the sky over LA?

<Hollyhock God> That's not the way lightning normally moves.

<Pascale> Text: LINE IS AT&T.

<Hollyhock God> "Well, can't you ward it or something?"

<Hollyhock God> "What if Joktan were reading this?"

<Pascale> Sid, Greater Divs aren't free or even cheap for you. But Incarnations are, which gets you what Rand just did!

<Sid> "Hey guys, Los Angeles thinks Canaan's in her."

<Nico> "…"

<Sid> (I thought Divs were more focused on info-gathering, and incarnations were direct spying)

<Nico> "Sploosh?"

<Pascale> TXT: THEN U WOULDVE BN UNWISE 2 SAY HS NME?

<Jane> "…"

<Pascale> TXT: FNE. COVRSTN NOW SCRT.

<Pascale> Prservation of thingy.

<Pascale> Greater Preservation of Secrets.

<Jane> "That's… that's a pretty good lead." Then, because she can't control herself: "Good for LA."

<Nico> "Are we taking the Draculamobile again?"

<Hollyhock God> "Excellent. Anyway, Canaan has found divinity troublesome. Lately, in any case."

<Pascale> :looks at Jane and blinks as the joke sails way over her head.

<Pascale> Text: TL ME ABOUT IT.

<Hollyhock God> "At first, he was pleased as punch with the immortality and the statuesque proportions and so forth, even if he went a bit pale around the edges. But then he began to read the fine print."

<Hollyhock God> "His powers are not altogether under his control."

<Pascale> Text: 'STATUESQUE'?

  • Nico knows that feel, bro.

<Pascale> "So, it sounds like he's pissed that his powers are out of his control."

<Hollyhock God> "He can shatter any barrier, including the barriers that keep him out of other people's hearts and minds. In fact, he has rather a hard time not doing so."

  • Jane considers, trying to find a cheaper transit method than the Dracmobile.

<Jane> Oh duh

<Hollyhock God> "As for the statuesque, his proportions are perfect, according to the ancient Greeks! Maybe you're simply difficult to please?"

<Hollyhock God> "But that's the trouble, really."

<Hollyhock God> "You know how it is; you're young and mortal and a pretty girl paying you attention is a mind-blowing calendar event."

<Jane> I didn't need to do a Lesser Motion last time, I could just have done a Preservation to get it going super-fast. So yes, Dracmobile it is.

<Jane> "Dracmobile works."

<Hollyhock God> "Then you become a god and find all the attention you could ever want."

<Hollyhock God> "Then you discover after the fact that maybe her consent wasn't quite so consensual as you thought at the time."

<Pascale> TXT: SO NOT THE STRY OF MY LFE.

<Hollyhock God> "That you are, in fact, exerting unnatural influence on everyone who gets close to you."

<Hollyhock God> "Well, everyone's story is unique."

<Pascale> TXT: NT UNNATURAL. ANNOYING. GR>**

<Pascale> TXT: INTRINSIC.

<Pascale> "OK, so apparently he's weirded out that he's hot now."

<Sid> "See? I told you!"

<Pascale> :is presumably texting en route to the Dracmobile.

  • Pascale is presumably texting en route to the Dracmobile.

<Jane> "Wait you're willing to type out "unnatural" and "intrinsic" but getting all three letters of "not" out is a chore?" Jane is once again peering over Pascale's shoulder.

  • Hollyhock God is laughing out loud at Pascale's interpretation of these facts.

<Pascale> "I don't have a shorthand for 'Intrinsic'"

<Jane> To Sid: "Wait, you did?"

<Pascale> "And 'nnatrurl' is just confusing.

<Jane> "INTRNSC?" Jane suggests.

<Nico> "How did you just pronounce that with only one vowel?"

<Sid> "Canaan's totally sexy."

<Nico> "The human voice isn't meant to do that."

  • Pascale looks to Nico:

<Pascale> "It's a secret."

  • Pascale looks back to Jane.

<Jane> "Right, Dracmobile." Jane raises her hands and a black carriage drawn by black horses once again appears out of the fog. Apparently it managed to find replacment horses.

  • Nico looks to Pascale. "Someone's awfully skippy today."

<Pascale> "It's already short for 'Noble Powers are the intrinsic building-blocks of reality, not an imposition on top of it. Realtiy flows out FROM us rather than the other way around. It's pre-natural; what nature precedes from."

  • Jane technically doesn't need to raise her hands to conjure stuff out of the depths of Halloween but as long as she's a god, she's going to enjoy the cheap charlatanism that goes along with it to the hilt.
  • Pascale looks back to Nico.

<Pascale> "Oh. Um. Sorry?" she offers sheepishly.

<Sid> To Los Angeles!

  • Hollyhock God wonders if Paolo's wisdom would allow him to interpret that out of Pascale's texts.

<Hollyhock God> Is Jane going to move you again?

<Nico> …yes?

<Hollyhock God> This happens.

<Jane> "To Los Angeles!" Jane echoes, climbing in last, and fortifying the carriage and horses with lots of turbo kick-ass, possibly enough to fly.

<Jane> Lesser Preservation, etc

<Hollyhock God> You arrive in LA, which looks exactly like an episode of Angel.

<Hollyhock God> Lots of convenient shipping crates.

<Hollyhock God> To punch people into.

  • Nico looks around. "Why didn't I change into something less fae? I am terrible at thinking sometimes."
  • Jane idly wonders if there's a Power of LA, and if it's a Whedon fan.

<Pascale> "You could guise, maybe?

<Jane> "Yeah. Guising didn't stop being a thing, Nico. Don't sweat it." Jane steps down from the carriage and looks up to the sky.

<Hollyhock God> The sky remains unlightning'd.

<Pascale> "So this is California, huh?"

  • Pascale looks around, taking it in. Kind of a 'huh' thing.

<Nico> "Yeah, the look can change," Nico says, his clothing going from spun sugar to denim and leather, "but it's still the same stuff underneath."

<Hollyhock God> You should popularize it!

<Hollyhock God> Spun-sugar raiment could become a thing.

  • Jane tests this assertion by tugging on a loose hem and popping the resultant loose thread into her mouth.

<Sid> "Pascale, do you think Secrets can track down Canaan?"

<Pascale> "… are you blowing denim bubbles?"

<Jane> "It's cotton candy, jeez."

  • Pascale fires off a divination.

<Jane> "Also holy shit your jacket is delicious."

<Hollyhock God> He's over there, brooding on a hill.

<Jane> The Hollywood hills?

<Hollyhock God> Why not?

<Hollyhock God> He's on the Y.

<Jane> yessssssss

<Nico> Although Nico's jacket is still pink leather. But then, it's Cali.

  • Pascale points to the sign.

<Pascale> "Why ask Y?"

<Nico> "I don't think I've ever been to California before. It's pretty nice, other than the rampaging lightning god-turned-inadverdent predator."

<Pascale> "I figured they'd be used to natural disasters by now?"

<Nico> "Fair"

<Jane> "So… do we take a cab, or…."

<Sid> "Shh, let's go comfort him."

<Hollyhock God> He can't be worse than <insert annoying celebrity>.

  • Jane glances about curiously in the meantime, wondering if anything about the city will feel familiar.

<Hollyhock God> I don't know. Did you watch a lot of Buffy?

<Hollyhock God> Now, if a hellbeast showed up, that kind of thing strikes you as familiar.

<Hollyhock God> Or anything built by Harley-Davidson.

<Hollyhock God> Your knowledge of that stuff is bizarrely complete.

<Sid> While the group hopefully moves in towards the hills, Sid strikes up a Conversation with the surrounding city, asking it what Canaan's been up to since he got here.

<Jane> I was thinking more of that weird memories-I-don't-have deja vu

<Jane> it kicks in in places sometimes!

<Hollyhock God> Brooding. Also he occasionally flits elsewhere in a flashy manner if people try to approach him.

<Sid> "Elsewhere" as in 50 yards over, or as in Kuala Lumpar?

<Pascale> "So do we have to, like, catch him? Lightning in a bottle? Or do you think we can just go up and talk to him?"

<Hollyhock God> I'm sure he'd try to go for Kuala Lamput if you poked him hard enough.

<Pascale> TXT: FND HM— LA

<Hollyhock God> Maybe you could lure him in with a trap?

<Hollyhock God> What have you got that's innately attractive to broody young adults?

<Sid> We could hold a goth rave…

<Nico> We could tart up one of the ladies.

<Hollyhock God> "I'll borrow one of Molly's supersonic whatsits. Be there shortly. Can you tell him the secret of life or something until I arrive?"

<Jane> Jane thinks. "I could maybe set up shadow-puppet relays so we can talk to him without getting too close?"

<Pascale> TXT: LIFE WOULD B PISSD.

<Hollyhock God> Any plan which involves puppets…?

<Nico> "I could get Lambkin out here to have fun with Cany"

<Sid> "That's…awful."

<Nico> "I'm not a good person. I've made my peace with it."

<Hollyhock God> Nico, you can't sexually harass Lambkin now that he's your employee.

<Sid> "Aaactually…what if we had Lambkin stage a Thunder-related emergency? Like a Flower Rite, except terrible and shitty. That'd at least give him something to do that isn't brooding."

<Pascale> "You've been so broody since your birthday," Pascale considers. "Kinda works for you."

<Nico> I can! My Affliction makes it considerably more likely.

<Nico> "…Kid's new to the whole goding thing, though, isn't he?"

<Pascale> (OK, sid should probably do this)

  • Hollyhock God wonders how Lambkin being your employee by Imperial fiat works, anyway.

<Hollyhock God> I guess he can leave at the end of the day but has to show up again in the morning.

<Nico> "Do we really want to get a Thunder God with a short trigger thinking that we might be part-time Excrucian sympathizers?"

<Nico> (Technically, the Bond it's based on was: my employees and roommates. So if he lives at the Chancel…)

<Sid> Hmm. While he's still got the Conversation going on, Sid's going to try to convince Los Angeles to…sparkle itself up, a little. Make the sky a bit bluer and sunnier, get some more bunnies hopping along in the hills, that kind of stuff. Set the stage for non-brooding activities.

<Sid> Then he sends Canaan a text. WHAT'S UP??

<Jane> (backsorry, got yanked AFK ffff)

<Pascale> (hahahaha. OK, so we're all texting now?)

<Hollyhock God> The sun shines. Bunnies frolic. Muggings conceal themselves in convenient alleys. Canaan fails to respond to your text.

<Pascale> (I mean, it's one thing for Pascale to come off as a teenaged girl…:) )

<Jane> (Wait, is it day or night?)

<Sid> (Sid's a college student, he's got a phone)

  • Melum (~ten.nozirev.soif.ynmcyn.E0AF4AD5-ratScigaM|muleM#ten.nozirev.soif.ynmcyn.E0AF4AD5-ratScigaM|muleM) has joined #spookygods

<Pascale> (Oh! I didn't realize Sid was a college student)

<Jane> (Jane is the only luddite in the group I guess.)

<Nico> (Nico is similarly phoneless)

  • Melum is now known as Peanut_Gallery

<Pascale> (Are you using your totally mundane 'Getting Along With People, Monsters, Etc.' skill?)

<Hollyhock God> It's day.

<Hollyhock God> Lambkins struck, and you slept, and then the sun shone and you found all these thunder problems.

<Hollyhock God> Maybe you could use your bad-siding to make a place exceedingly likely for him to flee to?

<Sid> Hmm. I think I might try the opposite.

<Sid> Sid's going to take a quick Aspect 2 jog up to the hills, along with anyone else who wants to follow. At the same time, he's going to drop a Greater Sacrifice, to make Los Angeles very definitely a place where Canaan should be.

<Sid> So that's 4 PMP

<Jane> I'll Aspect 2 jog along

<Hollyhock God> This LA is suspiciously attractive! If there is a Power of Los Angeles, he'll surely be offended… but that is a matter for another day.

<Pascale> (It's probably a spirit though…)

<Pascale> "This is a nice town," Pascale ambles behind with Nico.

<Nico> "I like it. But I hear the skinny bitches don't do candy."

<Jane> "Nose candy," Jane advises, tapping the side of her own.

<Pascale> "Huh?"

<Sid> "Jane, stop corrupting Pascale."

<Nico> "I don't know if that's in my domain," Nico admits.

<Nico> "I suspect not."

<Jane> "Probably best that way."

<Hollyhock God> Is this a sex thing?

  • Hollyhock God is perplexed by your dirty orifice talk.

<Pascale> "Well… lessee. Sweets are fleeting treasures— always desired but never enough. A source of comfort that fulls you with energy and contentment, but represent empty happiness?"

<Hollyhock God> Anyway, how is this going to capture you a lightning god?

<Sid> Well

<Sid> He can't teleport away, if my Sacrifice takes

<Sid> sooo we just have to sweet-talk him

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<Pascale> Sid just sent him a message

<Pascale> Is he not responding?

<Sid> He's not.

<Pascale> And then he went up to talk to him, with Jane folowing?

<Hollyhock God> Sid? Are you there? I'm seeing you losing connection a lot of times.

<Sid> Yep.

<Nico> "Oh Cneph," Nico says in realization.

<Nico> "I could totally make nose candy."

<Sid> (I misclicked and closed out of the tab)

<Sid> (twice)

<Hollyhock God> That sure was a secret that didn't need revealing!

<Hollyhock God> Next time Nico goes berserk, it's going to be drugs, drugs everywhere

<Hollyhock God> Wait, I was pretending not to know what those were.

<Hollyhock God> Anyway, how shall you approach?

<Hollyhock God> You could disguise yourself as a little black cloud!

<Jane> oh god

<Jane> I think Sid did a miracle to make him think this is where he should be, even if people intrude.

<Jane> so that we could just approach straight-up

<Pascale> Pascale quotes, doing her best Nico '"I'm not a good person. I've made my peace with it."

<Jane> he even spent some mP on it!

<Sid> Yeah. I'm planning on just going in openly. Figure there's less chance of getting zapped that way.

<Pascale> And then he just approached. And spent MP on that. And sent a text.

<Hollyhock God> All right.

<Hollyhock God> How will you get up on top of the Y?

<Pascale> Aspect 2.

<Hollyhock God> Are there ladders?

  • Hollyhock God is actually curious about this now.

<Pascale> Jane and Sid were heading up, with Pascale and Nico behind.

<Pascale> You can talk to someone from the bottom.

<Hollyhock God> I've seen lots of things with those letters but I'm not sure what they're like in terms of climbing and ladders and whatever.

<Pascale> Surely aspect-2?

<Hollyhock God> Oh, well. Are you going to yell up, or what?

<Jane> He can sit on one fork and we'll hang out on the other.

<Sid> I think there's a scaffolding or something underneath the letter-face that we can climb up.

<Hollyhock God> You do so, then! Now, what's your opening line.

<Sid> "Yo."

<Hollyhock God> Canaan looks up. He considers bolting away, but this seems inappropriate for some mysterious reason.

<Hollyhock God> "Hey."

<Sid> "Bad day?"

  • Jane sits down and lets her legs dangle over the edge of the Y. She observes Canaan much more carefully than she had back at the cookout.

<Hollyhock God> "I've had better."

<Hollyhock God> Jane notes that Canaan seems to have lost the multiple layers of clothing he normally seems to wear during the flying around the globe.

<Hollyhock God> His general mystical profile seems disturbed and running hot, as though he had some kind of weird power running.

<Jane> …The Sight show anything?

<Hollyhock God> Maybe a bit like the always-on Divine Mantle Warmains have, but more erratic?

<Sid> "How's stuff been since the Autumn get-together? We should grab a drink or an ice cream, catch up. That always makes a bad day better."

<Hollyhock God> It's not a halloweeny power, but you get a general impression of both great power and discombobulated.

<Pascale> TXT: WHR R U? MKNG CNTCT NW.

<Hollyhock God> Like, maybe if you killed the Great Pumpkin and ate it, you'd be flush with its power but also out of sorts with your own nature.

<Hollyhock God> "I actually can't get drunk. It's… I don't actually know what it is. I never got drunk previously, and now I can't."

<Hollyhock God> "Maybe it isn't all that great."

<Sid> "You know, you're probably right. Getting drunk's for stupid college kids and high schoolers who think they're being rebellious. Ice cream still taste delicious?"

<Pascale> (<— Getting Drunk is for.)

<Hollyhock God> "I guess. Sorry, I'm not good for much today."

  • Peanut_Gallery has quit (Disintegrated: Badger Badger Badger)

<Hollyhock God> He flows upward in a mildly impossible motion, and then winces as though he were trying not to do that.

<Jane> "Being a god is weird," Jane agrees. "What's eating you, Canaan?"

<Hollyhock God> He winces even harder at this, but for mysterious reasons flying away in a thunderbolt doesn't seem appropriate.

<Hollyhock God> "I'm just… not sure if this is the life for me. It's hard to… it's very difficult to avoid doing things that are probably wrong."

<Sid> "You didn't seem this ba–err, this, upset about it, the last time we met you. What happened since then?"

<Hollyhock God> "I don't want to talk about it."

<Nico> "So," Nico says to Pas, both still lazily ambulating like sirs, "you think they've got this?"

<Sid> (Could I use a Conversation to have the city relay this information to Pascale without verbalizing it aloud?)

<Hollyhock God> Not with Conversation, no.

<Pascale> Pascale is panting her way up the hill.

<Hollyhock God> It's important to that type of miracle that you still have to actually talk to your Estate.

<Sid> Hmm. Aspect miracle to text without Canaan noticing it?

<Pascale> Any way to make it a secret?

<Sid> How high would I need to crank it for that?

<Hollyhock God> Well, any Aspect will do. You have no idea what Canaan's senses are like.

<Hollyhock God> Oh, prayer-phone of editions past!

<Hollyhock God> Why have you abandoned Sid in his hour of need?

<Pascale> (IK,R?)

<Hollyhock God> Maybe now is a good time for the other two Powers to arrive on the ladder.

<Pascale> "No. I don't think they have this at all, Nico."

<Nico> (Note: Vance got dropped by MagicStar and it wont let him back in. Ideas?)

<Pascale> (Change name?)

<Jane> Jane lays back across the top of the Y, staring up at the sky. It's a beautiful day now, at least. She tries to think of something germane to offer, but quoting Spider-Man doesn't seem particularly appropriate, nor does misery poker. She speaks: "Did you… meet someone?"

  • Vance (PI.47FFDA6E.9BC6979.62E24A81|tibbiM#PI.47FFDA6E.9BC6979.62E24A81|tibbiM) has joined #spookygods

<Pascale> "No. I don't think they have this at all, Nico."

<Vance> (blargh)

<Nico> "Fair enough," Nico says, picking up the pace.

<Pascale> "See, the thing they haven't parsed yet is that this is a place of great economic and cultural power."

<Pascale> "Sid— it HAS to be Sid here, I mean, it's right for him to do this."

<Pascale> "But about any second now, he's going to start getting sick."

<Vance> (Did Rand ever answer the Aspect question?)

<Nico> "You need to stop knowing things."

<Hollyhock God> I did; you can use any level but it's dependent on what Canaan's senses are like.

<Pascale> (Any level will do but you'll have to beat his senses, and you don't know what those are)

<Hollyhock God> If you've registered a nick you can /ghost away other yous.

<Hollyhock God> Wait, why is Sid getting sick?

<Vance> I've got a Bond that sickens me in places of political or economic power, but I'm not convinced the Hollywood sign itself would count.

<Pascale> (An affliction)

<Pascale> (Affliction (1): I feel uncomfortable and mildly nauseous in places of great economic or political power, and can be warded against with icons of either.)

<Hollyhock God> Canaan sits down again. "Guess what we're discussing? Not that particular topic."

<Vance> Anyway–Sid sticks his hand into his pocket and starts discretely hitting the buttons. Spend 3 AMP to crank it up to Aspect 5.

<Hollyhock God> Looks like he found his surly!

<Pascale> (The Hollywood sign isn't an icon of that?)

<Jane> (Hmm if the Hollywood sign isn't a massive icon of the film industry…)

<Vance> TXT: SOMETHING HAPPENED 2 CANAAN. MADE HIM HUNKIER THAN USUAL. SECRET. FIND OUT?

<Jane> oh god

<Pascale> OK, sure! Let's do the relay game. He texts me, I'll divine the answer?

<Hollyhock God> It's a cosmic game of telephone!

<Hollyhock God> Really, the whole "people think I'm pretty because Husband-Seducing Demon Dance is always turned on" thing is just the tip of the iceberg.

<Hollyhock God> Lightning is an Estate of illumination.

<Hollyhock God> It's about the heavens opening up and breaking open the walls you've set up around your tiny life and showing you a larger world.

<Nico> Damned Persona.

<Jane> "It's tough," Jane agrees, taking that for confirmation. "But you can't just shut it out or run away—partly because the whole damn world is always on once an Imperator starts meddling with your life."

<Hollyhock God> Sometimes the universe shatters you so that you can know love, or understanding.

<Pascale> Text to Paolo: UR BROTHER IS HOT.

<Jane> oh god

  • Vance is now known as Sid

<Pascale> (sorry, sorry, I had to.)

<Hollyhock God> (Paolo's response: "Too close! Too close! Get at least ten feet away!")

<Hollyhock God> But sometimes it does it because your deeds demand justice.

<Pascale> Pascale turns to Nico and explains!

<Pascale> "So, Sid wanted to know why he's all…. effective now, why that's bothering him."

<Hollyhock God> I mean, the things that man had done were bad. That's not how you should treat a daughter. But Canaan is upset because he's not certain he's okay with being the kind of person who turns other people into dark smudges on the floor."

<Pascale> "And it's not just, like, hotness, as such. It's that he breaks down barriers."

<Hollyhock God> And he's also upset because he can't help but feel like maybe if he'd tried a bit harder he could have stopped himself from doing it.

<Pascale> "It's socially weird to him and he still thinks it's some kind of weird artificial thing, like he's doing something wrong."

<Pascale> "Also, he killed somebody."

<Pascale> "And he's angsty."

<Sid> Does Aspect 2 hearing pick that up?

<Nico> "…Man, he wants to talk artificial angst problems and murder? Because I can play that game. I'm internationally ranked at it."

<Pascale> Dunno, I think we're a little far for that.

<Pascale> "You so totally are."

<Sid> (probably)

<Pascale> "But the thing is— even if we can't SOLVE that problem— can you, I dunno, paliate it? Something sweet and distracting to keep his mind off it?"

<Pascale> "Or else figure out how to communicate it to Sid and Jane so they can talk him off the ledge."

<Nico> "Hm? Yeah, sure, that's not a problem. It'd be better in my shop, but seeing as there's a Deceiver there baking cookies, we'll make do with what we've got."

  • Jane thinks that at least he seems more sulky than evil or crazy. So there's that.

<Hollyhock God> Say if you like there is a shape his power wishes to take—an avenging angel, a breaker of bonds, and heaven's answer to the unrighteous—and that he's uncertain whether being that thing is compatible with being a good person.

<Hollyhock God> And whether he's obligated to—or willing to, really—take steps to conclude the matter if it isn't.

<Jane> So I am confused who the HG is relaying that information to at the moment

<Hollyhock God> Pascale.

<Pascale> oh!

<Pascale> OK

<Hollyhock God> In response to recent complaints, her secrets-sense is no longer occulted from player sight!

<Pascale> "Can'y you summon your candy to you?"

<Jane> man that Deceiver is probably having a tough enough time without his cookies disappearing

<Nico> "I can summon candy. But is that really what we need?" Nico asks, looking up the Y at their gathered family and Lightning-guy.

<Pascale> "Basically, he's torn, between his nature and what he wants to be. I guess I can relate to that."

<Nico> (Sorry, one sec, River Song is talking)

<Pascale> (The Statue shot was kinda awesome)

<Nico> (I have the biggest weakness for River)

<Pascale> "So, how do we communicate this to Sid and Jane?"

<Pascale> "Or use candy to buy time for Paolo and Strategy to show up."

<Nico> "We're pretty sure Sid and Jane are up there trying to talk him off the proverbial ledge, right?"

<Pascale> "Yeah, but they don't know what I know."

<Pascale> "Unless."

<Nico> (Can I use a Lesser Binding to make our family a source of comfort for him?)

<Jane> oooh

<Hollyhock God> That sounds more like an Enchantment.

<Jane> ?

<Jane> oh

<Jane> making us comforting

<Pascale> (And when he does that, I'm going to use an animation of secrets to convey what I know about him to Sid/Jane?)

<Nico> (Enchantment would make him—or one of us—comforting. Binding changes where he finds comfort in life, making it a bit more us-centric)

<Pascale> (Well. Not all of it, obviously.)

<Pascale> (But the bits you've typed here)

<Nico> (Unless I'm totally off base)

<Pascale> (On the grounds that I know more than I'm saying)

<Sid> (So we've got the info, and I guess we should wait to see what Nico pulls off)

<Nico> (Does that make sense?)

<Hollyhock God> Binding changes how he relates to Sweets.

<Hollyhock God> If you want to apply Sweet's comfort-providing property to something, that's Enchantment.

<Hollyhock God> And yeah, an Animation of secrets will transmit information to Jane and Nico.

<Hollyhock God> And Sid, I mean.

  • Nico purses his lips and breathes out a small, pink gust that shivers its way up the Y and settles on Jane and Sid, lending them an aura of allure.
  • Pascale concentrates a bit on sharing that secret. Which…. is weird and unnatural to her, let's not make a habit of it!

<Jane> …comfort or allure? oh god am I candy-sexy? D:

<Nico> Comfort.

<Hollyhock God> It's been a long day. You'd really like a nice quart of cookies and cream.

<Jane> whew

<Nico> You're Candy Grandma Paula Deen

<Hollyhock God> Jane is that carton of ice cream.

<Jane> oh god

<Hollyhock God> Sid is a delicious bucket of artery-hardening fried chicken.

<Jane> Jane smacks the side of her head as a bunch of secrets get dumped into it via Pascale brainmail. That felt -weird-.

<Sid> "Hey, it's not weird power-beyond-your-control issues, is it? 'cause we've had to deal with that a couple of times over. Nico's possessed by an Aztec ghost who makes him kill people, Jane doesn't have a past. I sometimes crush on…people…because the Bad Side of Town thinks they're cute. If you want to talk to someone about that type of thing…"

<Sid> "…then you won't find a better bunch of folks than us."

<Hollyhock God> "It's… kind of like that, yeah. I feel like there's this.. thing in me. This unbending angel sort of thing."

<Hollyhock God> "I mean, I can't say if it's a bad thing. But I don't think I can be an angel of shattering in the daytime and go out to the bar with the guys every night."

<Jane> "That's what you're after?" Jane asks quietly. "Some normality in your life?"

<Sid> "Just because you have god problems doesn't mean you can't be a normal person, Canaan. We've all got some kind of cosmic baggage, but you can still live your life however you want."

<Sid> "But running away and brooding isn't going to do that, even if it does make you depressingly attractive. The best way to find something normal and human is with some friends."

<Hollyhock God> Canaan looks at the ground. "I don't know… I think about all the things I used to want. I mean… I don't think I'm ever going to make the basketball team now. And if I did… what would that even say about me?"

<Hollyhock God> "But it's good of you to offer."

<Sid> "Okay, so maybe the high school rules won't let a demigod of divine lighting play. But I'm pretty sure at least one of us is casual acquaintances with the living incarnation of Sports on this world, so I think we could get some kind of Noble league running. See what I mean? Just takes some friends."

<Hollyhock God> Canaan's aura fluctuates. He's not really sure if organizing a little league for gods will make some occasional murders okay, but at some level, Sid is telling him what he wants to hear.

<Hollyhock God> Because if nothing else he doesn't want to decide that he's something that should die.

<Pascale> Text to Paolo: SO WHATS WISDOM HRE?

<Jane> And that's a dark undercurrent that speaks to Jane. "Even if it turns out to be unbearable," she says quietly, "there's one immutable perk of godhood—

<Jane> The power to change what you can't stand. It might take work, it might be hard, it might take friends lending a hand. But there's nothing wrong in this world, or in anyone in it, that can't be set right somehow."

<Hollyhock God> (Paolo: "Know when to leave things to the experts.")

<Hollyhock God> This clearly registers. "Yeah. Okay, yeah. I guess I have to deal with this if I don't want to just hand it on to the next sucker in line."

<Hollyhock God> "I'm sorry I made everybody worry… oh, god, is everybody out looking for me?"

<Jane> (USE THE PROJECT SYSTEM, LUKE.)

<Sid> "Nah. I just got a weird premonition that you could use some friends."

<Sid> "Los Angeles loves to gossip."

<Hollyhock God> Canaan looks down on the city disapprovingly.

<Hollyhock God> But he doesn't explode it! Not today.

<Hollyhock God> Meanwhile, Pascale and Nico feel neglected at the bottom of the ladder.

<Jane> Jane peers over. "Come on up, guys. All the cool people are up at the top of the Hollywood sign."

<Nico> "I hope Lambkin hasn't wrecked my shop," Nico says flatly but with a strange, pleasant note in his voice.

<Nico> "Ladies first."

<Hollyhock God> "Meanwhile, Lambkin has been making thousands and thousands of chocolate cakes.

  • Jane isn't really thinking about the rest of her Family at the moment though, or even the god they've just talked through a rough patch. She's thinking about the shattering of boundaries and the opening of worlds, and what that might do for a girl who's misplaced her history.

<Hollyhock God> It's no longer possible to open the shop entrance because of all the cake in the way.

<Pascale> "I can't climb that high!"

<Nico> Clearly, I need a Lunar to eat these cakes.

<Jane> And about how easy it would be to hop across the Y with Aspect 2.

<Jane> CHOMPY TO THE RESCUE

<Hollyhock God> You think to command Chompy with such little powers as yours?

  • Nico picks up Pascale with some difficulty.

<Hollyhock God> Chompy eats gods for breakfast.

<Hollyhock God> Chompy eats everything for breakfast.

<Nico> They rise up to the top of the Y on a wasteful but tasteful pillar of twisting candy-cane goodness.

  • Pascale is hauled up, in an undignified manner!

<Nico> "Huh," Nico says, looking down at the pillar, which is carved in an entirely Roman manner despite its red-and-white stripes. "Didn't know I could do that."

<Nico> (Tapped on Domain now)

<Hollyhock God> Comfort party on the Hollywood sign!

  • Nico breaks off a large piece of the column as a dandy's cane. Also, it tastes really good.

<Hollyhock God> Molly parks her jet on the H, where Paolo foresightedly installed a landing strip last year.

<Pascale> Really feels like we should end sitting on the Hollywood sign, feet dangling over the edge, looking out at the bad side of town and eating some Raisinets…

<Hollyhock God> They rappel to your side via grappling hook.

<Jane> Meanwhile, Jane's still contemplating the gap. She glances over to Sid, and thinks that if anyone hops over today, it ought to be him. Besides— Canaan will be around later.

<Hollyhock God> Paolo elects to lead Molly over to Nico and Pascale, evidently deciding that now is not the time for further intervention by him.

<Sid> Getting an idea of what Jane's thinking, Sid walks a slow, thoughtful balance-beam course between the two ends of the Y, and sits down a couple feet over from Canaan.

<Sid> This is probably enough to land him in Thunder's brooding hunk aura but he is okay with that.

<Hollyhock God> It's not really a brooding-hunk aura.

<Jane> Jane, meanwhile, flicks her wrist and conjures up some cheap plastic black-and-orange sunglasses, puts them on, and leans back to enjoy the beautiful day, legs dangling over the edge of the sign.

<Hollyhock God> It's something people interpret that way, which is… probably not all that different from being a brooding hunk, I guess?

<Hollyhock God> But still.

  • Nico looks to Paolo. "So, I could use some Wisdom. Got any ways to housebreak a Deceiver?"

<Hollyhock God> Canaan reaches out with one hand in the windy-thing position, and begins connecting points of light out in the city, slowly drawing a picture of the ocean.

<Hollyhock God> Paolo considers. "Kindness is wonderful if you mean it and disastrous if you don't. Do you?"

<Nico> "Mmmm. Not to belabor our angst, but I'm not even sure what kindness is left in me anymore."

<Jane> Jane shoots a hand up. "I do!"

  • Pascale wonders if she should be worried that the god of sweetness is so bitter.

<Hollyhock God> Paolo raises an eyebrow. "Surely there are other boyfriends? Canaan's available!"

  • Pascale smirks.

<Pascale> "Oh, really?"

<Jane> Jane turns her head, glancing over to Sid and Canaan. "Are you sure?"

<Hollyhock God> Paolo's caught in a trap!

  • Nico gives Paolo a long, terrible look. "You don't weight very much, do you? I could probably throw you pretty far." But even he can't hide the smirk, the lack of malice.

<Hollyhock God> He only mentioned Canaan so that he could pointedly avoid mentioning that he's also available himself.

<Hollyhock God> Although it also raises the question of who's the bigger fixer-upper.

<Hollyhock God> "Maybe the Halloween Queen can date an Excrucian and get away with it. That might not even be a crime," Paolo admits.

  • Jane sits up and glances at Pascale. "Exactly how much have you been texting to people?"

<Hollyhock God> "It's all context clues; I assure you," Paolo insists.

<Pascale> "Um….

<Nico> "Man, you Thinky-gods are problematical."

  • Pascale looks away, sheepishly.

<Hollyhock God> "Sometimes I regret being wise in public so much," Paolo agrees. "It means people notice my foolishness and make unkind comments."

<Jane> "The fact that he looks good in black and I kinda want to break him like a wild horse has nothing to do with the war for Creation," Jane insists, probably rather too candidly.

<Hollyhock God> Paolo deletes that statement via "when ignorance is bliss."

<Hollyhock God> You're welcome.

<Hollyhock God> Meanwhile, Molly is committing her own untactical unwisdom by attempting to mother Canaan with cookies, inserting herself between him and Sid.

<Sid> Sid sulks a little, but also cookies.

<Jane> lmao

<Hollyhock God> And I guess since it's been four hours we can conclude on that note.

  • You are now known as RandBrittain
  • services.magicstar.net sets mode +r RandBrittain

<Pascale> Well, shipping procedes apace.

  • Pascale is now known as ADamiani
  • Nico is now known as Elliott

<Jane> oh god

  • Jane is now known as Holden
  • Sid is now known as Vance

<Vance> to the shipping wall

<RandBrittain> I was planning to have you do more Deceiver-wrangling while trying to hunt Lightning, but I guess not.

<Holden> the likelihood of the Power of Shipping appearing rapidly approaches 1

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