Log:Expedition from Undermoon, Scene 1

Expedition from Undermoon 2011/02/09 	 Arandur Bullet Ceremaedhil Ellbeth Halo Nionanna Taennon Titan Xing-Liu 1

Bridgend

Ellbeth has been away from the city for some time. Oddly, it seems that either Mystique or Ellbeth are around but never both. Occasionally neither. This time Ellbeth has returned for a short visit to see her publisher, and the trip wouldn't be complete without partaking of the coffee in Past Times and catching up on the latest meta gossip.

Titan comes out of the gym, with a backpack over his shoulder. His hair is wet, as he's clearly just cleaned up after working out.

Ellbeth steps out of thin air outside the entrance to the coffee shop. Looking around she smiles at familiar sights, and nods pleasantly to Titan.

Titan notices Ellbeth, and gives her a wave. "Hey there."

Ellbeth says, "Good afternoon, Titan. A delight to see you. I'm looking forward to seeing the release of your new film. How is that coming along?"

Wandering, as though things were new again, as though the cold weather meant nothing, Xing-Liu is dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and shorts, the hood pulled up over her head and her hands in the front pockets. She has no shes on, as usual for her, and she slows her pace to gaze inside of one of the store windows.

Titan smiles. "Kingmaker? The one I made with Lorelei? It's due to be released imminently. It's tested well, and there's talk of a sequel. Only...the only question is, whether or not I'll be in it."

Ellbeth lifts an eyebrow inquisitively, "Why should you not, Titan?"

Titan shrugs, "There was a recent kidnapping attempt against me. Apparently the backers of the movie feel that I'm a risk to those around me."

Ellbeth says, "Kidnapping attempt? Have you been upsetting someone recently?"

The barefoot girl at the store window draws back her hood while she gazes at her reflection, no longer peering inside the store itself. She examines her own face, turning her head from one side to the other in contemplation.

Titan shakes his head. "It was Next Generation, they think. I guess they want to study me? I'm not sure."

Ellbeth smiles, "Then they should buy tickets and go watch the film when it's released." she tells Titan. Turning to look towards the coffee shop, Ellbeth spots Xing-Liu and gives her a wave calling out a greeing, "Xing-Liu! Good to see you again."

South down Wharf Street, there's a sudden blaring of horns and horrible screeching as hover-vehicles drop to the ground in emergency breaking for extra traction.

Ellbeth spins to look towards the blaring horns. "I see nothing much has changed here during my absence. Shall we investigate?"

Titan nods. "I think we better."

The blue-haired girl turns as she hears the voice calling out toward her, wearing a perplexed look She seems partway between lack of recognition and familiarity, though her attention is swiftly taken by the abrupt noise coming from a different direction. It is a direction she is moving toward. Uncertainty of what is happening around her aside, she needs to act, if only to check on the affected people.

Boars - four of them - dart out from between the honking cars and charge down the sidewalk toward the heroes. Some people in cars shout at them. People on the sidewalk mostly try to get out of the way, even if it means stepping into the road!

Ellbeth hurries in the direction of the confusion, deciding against opening a gate as that might just deepen the confusion when whose involved see her appear from nowhere.

Titan had started moving in the direction of the disturbance, and stops when he sees the boars. "Charming." He tosses his backpack aside, against the wall of a building, and then turns to face the beasts. He stands out in the open, and calls out to them. "Over here!"

Ellbeth quickly casts a protective spell, just in case.

A small child, having lost hold of his mother's hand, is right in the boars' path.

Ellbeth reaches out telekinetically and lifts the boy up out of the way and range of the charging boars.

The boars thunder on as Ellbeth lifts the boy overhead.

With different decision making trends than what she might be known for, Xing-Liu charges the oncoming boars. They need to be halted, and she can provide some halting power through simple applied violence. She steadies herself against the charging animal, grabbing it by the tusks and redirecting its path by pivoting and swinging it bodily into another.

The blue-haired speedy teen manages to bear the one boar into the other, reducing the number of fully active charging boars to two for this particular moment. Her fists are clenched.

The boars squeal in pain.

Quicksilver was out getting some lunch in Chinatown when he hears the horns and all that. He doesn't even give it much thought but slips into an alley, his skin shimmers a moment as the silvery metal sheath encases his skin and he heads directly for the problem arriving to see the boars.

Titan steps forward, and attempts to grab one of the boars by the horns.

Ellbeth calls out after getting a clear view of the boars, "Don't hurt them, Xing-Liu, Titan. I suspect they are shapeshifted, not by choice, and potentially may be human in origin." followed by a muttered, "So much for bacon sandwiches."

The last boar darts into the traffic, seemingly trying to get away from Titan and XL!

Titan brings the boar to a halt, taking a the fight out the beast. "You think so?"

Titan grimaces, "It's going to be that suitor for Lorelei's hand again, probably. He needs a pounding."

Horns blare again, but the boar narrowly escapes being hit.

Ellbeth maintains her grasp on the boy, moving him to the sidewalk to a place of safety, and also extends a second telekinetic 'hand' for the boar heading into traffic.

The boar squeals in fright as the unseen hand grabs it.

Quicksilver glances around, "Well seems like verything is under control," says the silvery figure as he notices that things due seem contained.

Titan looks over to Ellbeth, "Can you change them back?"

Ellbeth lowers the boy down to the sidewalk near to a female passerby, "Can you comfort the child and seek his mother?" she asks the woman. Holding onto the other boar for now she spends a few seconds carefully examining the enchantment on the boars.

Ellbeth says, "Probably not. But I should be able to determine what and how, and possibly who."

The boars Xing Liu subdued adopt a cowed position to show they aren't trying to fight. Once they recover enoguh to do so, that is.

Xing-Liu looks over the boars, surprised at the amount of trouble they were able to cause while being so easy to stop. She looks from Ellbeth to boars, kneeling down by one to see if her understanding of correcting the body is true. A bright violet glow flows from her hand to one of the boars.

The mother in facts find the child, holding him tight and fussing over him.

Titan just keeps one hand on the boar's tusk of the one he grabbed. He looks at it, and says, "Just relax, we'll figure this out."

Titan rubs his chin, "Wasn't there a sorceress from Greece that did something similar? Circe?"

Ellbeth nods after a few seconds examining the aura visible to her sight around each boar. "Fae magic. Of considerable power. It will wear off at sunrise by itself."

The boars grunt, looking at Ellbeth and each other. Hard to say what they're trying to say. But they seem a bit less panicked.

Ellbeth adds, "Although clearly panicked I may be able to communicate with them, if the transformation does not extend to the mental level.

Titan nods, "Might be nice to know who did this to them."

Xing-Liu continues administering her reparations, ignoring the nagging thought that she should be questioning the woman who called out her name. It can be done at a later time if she really needs to.

Ellbeth asks 'Who are you, and who did this to you?'

Now that traffic is free again, and moving, a taxi is able to pull up to the curb. The exiting passenger is Somtimes know to Metas in CB due primarily to the fact that she is the foremost nurse who works in the meta unit at CB hospital. Asanna looks around at the scene trying to finalize an understanding of what caused the horn-honking and temporary traffic scene.

Ellbeth mentions in an aside to Xing-Liu, "Your gift may well be able to reverse the transformation imposed on these unfortunates. Would you like to try doing so?"

The boar thinks, "This is bullshit, I'm stuck like this all night?!" before he realises Ellbeth's in his mind. "Shit, did she hear that? Uh - it's was this bunch of weirdos with this really hot, uh, woman. Two of them had swords and one was in freaking armour! I though they were, you know, those nerds who pretend to be elves or shit!"

Xing-Liu glances at Ellbeth, then returns her attention to the boar, keeping her chi flow moving through the boar.

Ellbeth smiles, relieved that the mental state is intact, "It would seem that they were not playing at being lae." she mentally communicates. "Where did this happen, and what caused them to pick on you four. Oh, I'm reading your thoughts, yes I did 'hear' what the thought, and I will know if you try to lie."

The boars are soon healed physically.

Ellbeth thinks out loud, "Anyone got a portable sunlamp? Or... is there a tanning bed in the Gym?"

Titan chuckles. "I don't think so, no. I thought it was tied to the planet? I don't think artificial light would work, right?"

Ellbeth says, "I'm not sure. Technology is the bane of fae magic, and vice versa."

Titan nods. "Worth a try, I guess. First order of business is finding a place for these four to stay. I'm going to guess the police can help with that."

Titan says, "Did the boar say anything about who attacked them?"

Xing-Liu keeps trying for a little longer than one might think is necessary, then stops. She stands, healing the other boar she had injured.

The boar wasn't badly injured, and is soon whole again.

Ellbeth nods, "Yes. In mostly his own words, a bunch of weirdos with a smoking hot woman. Two had swords and one was in armor

Titan nods, and looks off in the direction from which the boars came, looking to see if anyone met that kind of description. After all, the culprit might be watching the results of their handiwork.

Ellbeth sighs, "Oh course! I'm a little ashamed not to have thought of this earlier. Cold iron. It's a traditional remedy versus fae magic.

The boar thinks, "Shit, then she'll no we were hitting on NO don't think about it she was HOT though - We didn't do nothing! We were just hanging out on Golden Sands and these weirdos came by and the woman asked for directions to some castle or something and one of the guys with the sword didn't like us talkng to her..."

Asanna seems to recongnize the heros who have public ID's. She meanders over to Ellbeth and asks at a ploite moment for an explanation of events; adding that she'd like to help if she can.

Titan says, "I'm pretty sure I don't have any. Though the twins to."

Ellbeth laughs, "On the other hand, a night in this form might be just what is needed to drive the lesson home." she says verbally to the boars, as well as mentally. "The incident occured in the Golden Sands district."

Asanna suggest, "Fiorehydrant, lightpost, car body or engine?

Ellbeth says, "Good ideas, Asanna, but I suspect most will be too complex an alloy to apply. Cold iron is a specific type of metal and manufacturing process. A good old fashioned knife, or the like, is probably the most likely chance."

Titan nods, "I definitely don't have anything like that. Though...the gym might. Some of the free weights."

The boars grunt in alarm. "Hey, you can't leave us like this! We're people!"

Ellbeth turns to Titan, Asanna, and Xing-Liu, "They'll come to no harm and my thought is we should find the cause before most mischief befalls others less cupable."

Titan nods. "Once the cops get here to make sure they don't run off and cause more trouble."

"You're the only people who know we're people!" the boar thinks in alarm.

Asanna thinks for a mopment..."Barring findign cold steel, Id suggest admitting them to CB Hospital meta unit. We have good psycotherapist to help them cope with it until the change back; and we acn assure they come through it and reamin stable medically.

Ellbeth recalls the attempted repression of the thoughts of harassing the fae woman. She idly images a large roast pork joint in an oven for a moment.

The boar back away hurriedly.

Xing-Liu stands, her work complete, drawing her hood back over her head.

Titan still has a hold of the boar's tusk. He doesn't look all that stressed by the boar trying to pull away, though he looks down at it. "Relax. You'll be fine."

Asanna activates her cellphone, calling for an ambulance transport...and mentions the special nature of the patients and their problem to the dispatcher.

Ellbeth 'tells' the boars, "So you're going to stay calm and go with the police until we can change you back, orsunrise. Whichever comes first. And we'll inform the police you are humans who have been shapeshifted against your will. Do we have an agreement?"

The boars grunt and nod.

Titan chuckles.

Ellbeth thinks. o O (Why did I leave? I miss this city.)

The police arrive presently. While they're being told about the boars something can be heard over the radio about an altercation with some people with swords, on Pennyroyal Lane.

Xing-Liu glances, seeing the police coming, and takes flight, running down an alley abruptly, soon roof-bound, watching from there.

Titan nods. "Guess we better check that out." He heads over to pick up his backpack.

Asanna ,even in her SID has access to some of her powers, not to mention her incredible presence and persuasiveness. She stars taking to the Boar-people to calm them...Observes wouldn't even necessarily know she also used a power on the boars.

Ellbeth nods, "Do you have transport? My car is still in storage and opening a gate is a bit hit and miss, mostly miss, when out of sight in an unprepared location."

Titan smiles, "Just my leaping, if you don't mind being carried?"

Asanna nod at Ellbeth, " an abluance is on the way."

Ellbeth says, "Not at all. I imagine Xing-Liu is already close to there at her speed. And all seems under control here."

Artists' Quarter

In a newsagent's in Pennyroyal Lane, things seems to have gone badly. Nionanna seems to be having an argument with the man at the counter, pointing to something - from outside it's impossible to see what. Three men are standing outside the door - Taennon in armour, mace in hand, Arandur and Ceremaedhil with swords - the tip of Arandur's being held threateningly at a policeman. Across the street other police officers and their cars have gathered. At the moment the heroes arrive an order is shouted and one of the policemen fires on Ceremaedhil.

Ceremaedhil sees the gun move and avoids the bullet, barely.

Titan lands, and sets Ellbeth on the ground.

Arriving in a blur of motion, Bullet hears the cop who called out. In fact she passed right by him, leaving a gust of wind in her wake. She doesn't even slow down though as she notices the officer in trouble. One moment the cop has the blade at his throat, and less than a second later, Bullet is slowing to a stop in that nearby alleyway outside line of sight of the bad guys, "Officer Miller... you should be safe now." she offers. Funny, she barely had time to look at his nameplate.

Titan mutters to Ellbeth, "They're probably looking for either Lorelei or me."

Arandur is flustered for but a moment at the sudden loss of the hostage and the resultant greater danger. He darts across the street to attempt to hold another policeman hostage - the one who just fired!

Ellbeth nods to Titan, "Then you should introduce yourself and see if you can contain the situation. That is, assuming they are looking for you and not looking to slice you with a long pointy sword."

Titan nods. "Even if they want to fight, I'm willing to oblige."

He's blindingly fast with that sword. Almost the sword is at the officer's throat before he knows what's happening.

Taennon mutters, "This mission was a fool's one. There's no talking to these animals!" He changes hangs his mace back at his side and draws his spear.

Titan jumps, clearing the distance to where the fae are standing with relative ease. He lands, and looks at them. He doesn't even fall into a combat stance...standing at ease in front of them. "Folk of Undermoon. I am Johnathan Vasilikos, known as Titan. Why have you come here? What is your purpose?"

Titan gets Ceremaedhil's attention, anyway. "That Titan who is companion to Her Royal Highness, the Princess Stephanie?" Arandur meanwhile says to the policemen, "Lay down your arms. You cannot win this fight. Do not force me to slay one of your own."

Ceremaedhil holds too. As does Nionanna, for now. Ellbeth up.

Titan nods in response to Arandur. "That is me, yes."

Ellbeth steps forward to make her presence know but holds back on taking any action, just letting them know a mage is in town and it might not be as easy a fight to win as they thought.

Ceremaedhil demands, "Why did these men require our weapons? I am Ceremaedhil, a lord of Undermoon, here on orders of King Zoramin. We are all entitled to the arms we bear."

"Hold your fire!" calls the police captain. The mere presence of the heroes has changed the situation. Not to mention the hostage situation.

Ellbeth says, "Talk is smarter than fight."

Ceremaedhil nods to Ellbeth. "Agreed. It was not we who brought things to blow."

And with the first cop taken to safety, Bullet peeks around the corner, rolling her eyes. She vanishes in a blur of motion and appears between the swordsman and the cop the sword was pointed at. "You're in their land... their laws must apply. Is that not diplomatic?" she asks as she folds her arms over her chest.

Titan looks to Ceremaedhil, "It's illegal to carry weapons such as those openly here in the city. It's the law of the land here. And as she said, you should abide by those rules."

Arandur fixes Bullet with a stern stare. "This world was ours long before we decided to let your kind live here. Our laws are the older, the stronger. But let that pass."

Ceremaedhil, however, says, "I apologise. We know little of your ways - but you came armed to our lands, so we assumed your customs were similar to our own."

Titan nods. "And I believe the weapons we brought...we turned over to you, yes?"

"I didn't come into your lands." offers Bullet. Who then asks, "Wait, if you have your own lands, and then you say this was your world... where -is- your land if not right here? Land that you gave up claim to long ago." Bullet definitely looks a bit confused as she stands there, but she's still there in the way... sometimes she's too brave for her own good. It's a good thing she's mostly bulletproof.

Taennon says to Ceremaedhil, "How can they speak about rights or laws of weapons, when they carry weapons that cann't be their own?"

Titan smiles slightly, "I'm pretty sure we abided by your laws when we were in Undermoon. Until one of your own took said weapons, and tried to use them to kill your own royalty."

"We never forsook the claim to the land," replies Arandur. "We merely let you use it."

"Weapons are not allowed in the royal court - it's a matter of national security," says Ceremaedhil.

Ellbeth says quietly, although for sure fae ears will hear it, "They are Fae. They lived here before humans, and left when humans were few and primitive. Which many believe has much to do with humans learning the art of crafting iron weapons."

Taennon adds, "And cold iron is not allowed in any civilised realm!"

"Would you have us walk around defenceless?" asks Ceremaedhil. "Already we have been assaulted twice."

"Silly me, a few centuries without a landlord coming to collect rent... and people tend to figure that there is no landlord. So relax. This land has laws written by those who serve the people. .. Fae?" asks Bullet as she turns her head towards Elsbeth, "As in fairy tales? Never believed in'em before." she looks back to the sword wielder and shrugs her shoulders, "Well, maybe I should revise my beliefs but no iron? Where would the world be without it? Yeesh. In fact, I think the planet's core is mostly nickel and iron, isn't it? so if you hate iron, you sure picked a strange world to call yours originally. But we live here now... kinda like it. View's nice, rent's cheap..."

Titan raises a brow, "You're defenseless? One of you turned four humans into boars. That's not defenseless. Unless you need your sword to cast magic?"

Arandur replies, "We are not here to take back our lands, human girl. We are content where we live now. I merely make the point that you have no case in law. If you care about such things."

Titan chuckles. "The point is...don't go drawing your weapons and threatening people. That's what is going to draw unwanted attention. If you keep them sheathed and peace-tied, I think there would be no reason to remove your weapons from your possession." He smiles again amiably. "So...why are you here?" He focuses on Ceremaedhil, who apparently seems to have a more level head on his shoulders than the other two.

"That depends on the court, the judge, and which law you refer to. The land is -now- ruled by laws you didn't write... by lawmakers who serve the public. The laws here are what these men.." Bullet gestures towards the police officers, "Risk their lives to enforce. They are men and women who protect and serve so that others can live in peace.. and yet you dihonor aoll of them by making threats on their lives. Around here that's called being a.." and she makes fingerquotes as she says, "... bad guy behavior."

Ceremaedhil smiles. "My lady Nionanna is skilled in such arts. But she is here, and unarmed. What ruffians would insult and assault an unarmed lady? That they could not overcome her - that is their shame, not hers."

Titan nods. "I'm afraid there are...quite a few ruffians about who would do so. And I'm going to guess there are some in your realm, as well. Though perhaps not as many."

"We had no intent to transgress your law, but we did not know them," says Ceremaedhil. "But we did not draw our weapons until they were demanded of us."

"I threatened no one's life," says Arandur, "until shots were fired. And that to try to stop the fight."

"Though we had cause to take grave insult," says Ceremaedhil. "Or can you explain the books we saw?"

"Well, then I guess you guys are just flawless... oh wait, nobody's flawless." offers Bullet. She eyes the other heroes and says, "You guys seem to know these people." A gesture to the Fae. Bullet just shakes her head and says, "I really shouldn't be here arguing semantics with'em... I'll say something stupid and mess it all up so... I'll be around guys.." and then she pauses and asks, "Books? What books?"

Titan nods to Bullet, "My girlfriend, Lorelei, is the princess of their realm."

Titan raises a brow at the mention of books. "Ummm...I'm not sure what you're talking about, in regards to books. Is that why you're here?"

Ceremaedhil says, "The books within this shop." He goes back into the newsagent, where Nionanna is still talking. Arrayed on the counter are various magazine, each with Lorelei on the cover. "How are we not to take insult when the princess is... on display in such unseemly manner?" Nothing nude if course: Lorelei doesn't do such pictures.

"Oh.." is all Bullet says, "That's an insult? I think those look great!" she offers as she dashes over, drops money on the counter and takes one of the magazines. "In fact, now I gotta -get- a skirt like that one." She chuckles and shakes her head before vanishing into the distance...

"We have seen her image on signs about the city, also!" adds Nionanna.

Titan smiles slightly, "Ah. She allowed herself to be photographed that way. It's not considered quite so much...of an insult here. She's viewed with a certain sense of awe by the populace. Certainly a level of reverence which would be due someone of her stature."

Titan smiles again amiably, "But...you never did say why you're here. What's the purpose of your visit?"

Ceremaedhil frowns and looks dubious, but Nionanna intersted. "I would like to hear more of this - photographing?" But then she falls quiet again as Ceremaedhil says, "In light of recent events, His Majesty considers that we should assess whether we should once more pay attention to this world, and your people. We are here to assess whether there is value in this."

Titan nods. "Might I suggest that you meet with Lorelei? Stephie? After all, she's probably the best person to act as a contact point for you, to help you understand all that's changed here."

Ellbeth speaks up, "There is always value in learning about another culture, even if only to note object lessons in why you should never ever adopt some of their traits. Titan's advice is good. Lorelei knows our ways and can help to avoid these," she indicates the police, "minor issues with cultural differences."

CHANGE THIS says, "His Majesty felt that this was best conducted independently of the Princess Stephanie, who has an understandable fondness for this world. Though it is in part because of her suggestion that we are here. She has suggested that we might benefit from trade in certain items. She spoke particular of something called coffee, which we are eager to sample.""

Ellbeth says, "Did you hear of chocolate too?"

Ellbeth thinks. o O (Get them drunk on coffee and chocolate and get them to sign over all land rights. It worked with the native americans after all.)

"There are rumours of it about the court, milady," says Ceremaedhil. "Some have tasted it, but I alas was not there."

Titan nods. "I....suppose I can act as a contact point, then. If that's alright with you folks. Though the place I stay isn't not anywhere near as palatial as Stephie's place."

Ellbeth holds out a hand palm up and casts a quick spell. Chocolate chip cookies appear in her hand, "Then you should have to wait no longer to try the taste of chocolate." she says offering the cookies.

"My lady Nionanna can ensure things are comfortable enough, I am sure. And thank you, milady," he says to Ellbeth.

He samples the cookie, and smiles, delighted. "If chocolate made from the aether by your arts tastes so good, then natural chocolate must be truly delicious!"