Chapter Two: Settling In

Scene One: On the Cape
mgrasso> James asked Gemma to drive down to the Cape so he could read granpa's journal on the way down.
mgrasso> Gemma, I need you to make an extended Intelligence + Enigmas roll, diff. 8, to see how well you do with the directions. Five successes are required. :)
Gemma> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 3 10 6 3 5
Gemma> Roll again
Gemma> ?
mgrasso> All right. Excellent. She's on route 3. :)
mgrasso> Yup. :)
Gemma> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 7 5 3 7 9
mgrasso> She doesn't get off before the Sagamore Bridge. :)
Gemma> I was railroaded away from the exit by a crappy driver. Yeah.
mgrasso> Keep going. :)
Gemma> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 2 7 4 4 2
mgrasso> Uh oh. Little WP? :)
Gemma> Yes!
mgrasso> James is so rapt with the journal that he doesn't help you get around your first rotary. :)
James> ha!
* Gemma squeals in horror at the rotary.
James> (be right back, I need a drink)
mgrasso> (Okay, Mandy. when you get back, tell me what town on the cape it's in)
* Gemma curses James under her breath
mgrasso> Next roll?
Gemma> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 7 2 10 7 8
mgrasso> Awesome! She pulls into the dirt road leading to the cottage.
Gemma> Oh, thank god. do I have to roll again to find the cottage?
mgrasso> Nope. You're there.
mgrasso> You're not very far from the ocean here. The house, a sprawling 10-room affair, isn't really a cottage. There's a huge front lawn, and a tire swing, just as James promised.
mgrasso> (I'll let Mandy do any additional desc)
James> We are right now in hiannis port
mgrasso> Excellent!
James> for any one who doesn't know, it's before the "elbow"
mgrasso> (home of the Kennedys)
Gemma> (Ohhhh yeah... Jess and I broke into their compound)
mgrasso> Gemma pulls into the driveway and James' reverie is broken. (James, get two points of Glamour back from reading the journal)
James> cha
*** mgrasso sets mode: +o Gemma
*** mgrasso sets mode: +o James
Gemma> You're driving on the way back, James. The freeway system here is completely wrong.
mgrasso> (I'm letting you guys go walk into the house now)
James> no one says "freeway" on this coast Gemma
Gemma> What do you say, then? Circular Death Trap?
James> wait untill you meet a clover leaf.
Gemma> Uhhh... NO thanks. You can do the rest of the driving from now on.
mgrasso> Walked in yet?
James> /me is kind of standing back- taking it all in- it's been along time since he's been here.
James> grrr
* Gemma is by the door, glancing around, waiting for James to unlock it
mgrasso> (It's a one-level ranch, Mandy? Or is there an upstairs?)
James> two stories- it's not really sprawling- it has a full basement
mgrasso> (Ah, excellent. Thank you, that makes sense)
James> James smiles, and opens up the door to a porch with wicker rocking chairs, and an end table- as well as common cape decore
James> (birds, sand, sea stuff, fish)
James> Everything is either rich brown wood, painted white, or shingle.
* Gemma takes it all in with a small smile
mgrasso> Well, this is the first time anyone's been down here this summer, so there's a musty odor as the door is opened. Also, you guys will need to go food shopping at some point.
Gemma> Do your parents come here much?
James> not really- a couple of times a season
mgrasso> (They haven't had that much time this summer with your grandmother sick.)
Gemma> What a shame.
James> I know.
mgrasso> You guys can drop off your stuff and maybe head to the supermarket and pick up the essentials.
James> james tosses off his glasses on to an end table, and plops down on a couch in the main room
mgrasso> (But I'm not here to rush. :) )
mgrasso> (Talk for a while, I have to make some rolls behind my screen here. :) )
James> what do you say we hold off on getting food until tommorow- tonight we'll get settled in, and I'll take you out for real newengland lobster?
Gemma> Ooh, lobster.
* Gemma sits down next to James and gives him a kiss on the cheek
James> James sighs, and streches- the stress usually prevailant in his face seems to have melted away in the past few minutes
James> want to get the stuff upstairs?
Gemma> Sure.
James> There are four bedrooms upstairs- all decorated in cottage style- the top floor is alot smaller than the bottom one-
Gemma> Which bedroom do you want me to use?
James> James walks over to the third room
* Gemma lingers by the stairs
James> This one has always been mine. . .
Gemma> Ah.
James> are you staying in my room or???
James> (sorry- . . .?)
* Gemma briefly glances down the stairs
mgrasso> (just soak up that awkwardness :) )
Gemma> Do you mind if I let Cupid run around here?
Gemma> I feel bad that he's been so cooped up in my backpack all this time...
James> sure thing
Gemma> Thanks.
* Gemma opens up the side zipper on her backpack, pulls out Cupid, and sets him on the floor. Cupid makes a big deal of stretching and rolling around the ground.
James> so (James says heartily) where do I put your stuff? It's up to you-
Gemma> Uh, wherever. It's your place. Where's the restroom?
James> Down the stairs, around the stairs, straight ahead
Gemma> Okay, cool.
* Gemma speedily heads down the stairs and into the restroom
mgrasso> Cupid looks up at you after a vigorous stretching session and leaps into James' room.
James> I'll describe it for cupid
mgrasso> He's now in your room, nestled between the two pillows on the bed, as if it's his to rule now. :)
Gemma> (Cupid avidly watches Martha Stewart)
James> There is a writing desk a full sized bed and a burow, and a woredrobe.
mgrasso> Yeah, Cupid's nestled in bed doing his "tired" routine.
mgrasso> I think he's chosen *his* room. :)
* Gemma comes back upstairs a few minutes later
* Gemma notices the empty place where Cupid was. "Where'd he run off to?"
James> James points into his room- between the pillows
* Gemma pokes her head in the room
James> James is standing in his room, your suitcase inside by the door
mgrasso> Cupid is indeed comfy in James' bed.
James> should I finish the description
James> ?
Gemma> (sure)
mgrasso> Sure. :)
James> on the desk are several science fair and math team trophys- above the bed is one of those personalized things for hanging baseballs and gloves
James> this one says James- but the small glove appears brandnew- if dusty.
James> there is also one of those team cards you can get with your kids picture on it... James- about 7, doesnot look happy.
Gemma> (Is he swinging a bat or catching a ball? :) )
James> swinging pose- and he's squinting and scowling- theres tape on his glasses.
James> there are some miscelaneous pictures- a speed racer one, and and a bookshelf- filled with fairytales and scifi and fantasy novels.
James> thats it for this room :)
James> I spent a lot of great summers up here...
James> (what time is it?)
mgrasso> (um, 3 pm or so?)
* Gemma sits on the bed and tickles Cupid
Gemma> I didn't know you did the little league thing.
* Gemma glances up at the picture with a grin
mgrasso> Cupid nuzzles Gemma's forearm and mews softly.
James> yeah- for like a year- Glen wanted me to be good-he was awfully disapointed when I quit
Gemma> Glen? Why don't you call him "Dad" or something like that...?
James> because he's a bastard... so I call him glen- mad him so mad the first time I did that I thought that I must have sucked up all the galmour that man ever created.
James> made him so mad...
* Gemma makes a shocked little noise... Almost like a brief laugh, but not quite
Gemma> Oh! Well. Hey. Whatever works, right?
Gemma> How old were you when you first started calling him by his name?
James> It was right around my crysalis- thirteen
Gemma> Ah... Good age. Too old to be smacked, still young enough to not get into terribly serious trouble.
James> James shruggs
mgrasso> (You guys want or need any direction?)
James> want to go to the beach? we could just go for a swim, or just walk along the shoor...
mgrasso> (I don't want to interfere at all with the natural RP process... :) )
Gemma> The beach sounds great.
James> :)
James> so we'll go, then come back, shower, and change for dinner?
Gemma> Sounds like a plan.
Gemma> Um. Wait.
James> what?
Gemma> Are you going to wear teeny speedos?
* Gemma smiles teasingly
* James hums the tangerine speedo song
James> no way- I've seen enough of those unpleasant large men wear them to know it's a bad idea
* Gemma giggles
Gemma> Yeah, it's so much fun when you can't see what bit of coverage they have because of their gut...
James> (hey mike... remember that thing in the room after the reception....)
mgrasso> (Ah, goodness *bleh*)
James> :P

Scene Two: Swimming
James> we change and head down to the beach- James' swim trunks go to his knees- they are green/grey
Gemma> (I want that story, Mike)
mgrasso> (oh, it was just Mad TV.)
Gemma> (mm-hmm suuuuure :) )
James> no- actually it was marks rotund uncle roderic, who stripped naked and danced on the bed for us.
mgrasso> *snort*
Gemma> Gemma's swimsuit is a bright blue tankini. She wears a baggy pair of board shorts over the bottoms.
Gemma> (you weirdos!)
mgrasso> (Gemma's been to the ocean before, right?)
Gemma> (oh yeah)
James> what! no two piece thong?
Gemma> No! A butt like this you have to PAY to see.
* Gemma skips ahead of James and shakes her tush at him
* James pulls out a twenty and sicks it in her trunks "stripper style".
* Gemma unties the laces holding her shorts up. "That's all a twenty gets you, dear. I'm 'high rent.' "
James> I'll stop by the atm on the way back.
Gemma> Mm-hmm.
Gemma> I want to swim.
* Gemma hands the money back to James and takes her shorts off.
Gemma> She runs into then immediately out of the water.
* James puts the money in his walet- his walet in his bag, and bolts down to the water-
James> "last one in- oh, hell, you know the rest!"
mgrasso> Perception + Alertness, you two bathing beauties. Diff. 6
* Gemma stands in the extreme shallows, shivering
James> !dice 2 6
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 7 1
Gemma> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 10 8 8 1 2 5 6
Gemma> WHY must it be so cold?
James> James- once he finaly gets there- dives right in like he and the ocean were separated at birth
* Gemma inches back into the water
* James splashes her a little "this isn't cold- it's the harbor side
James> "
Gemma> No, this is cold... Where I've been, the water is clear and warm.
James> welcome to the north east cutie.
* Gemma half-heartedly wades around
* James swimms out deep and bodys surfs a wave up to where Gemma is.
James> Come on- you chicken?
Gemma> Nooooo... I just need to get used to it. Yeah.
* Gemma inches out a little further.
Gemma> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 1 10 4 8 9
Gemma> Oh, the hell with it.
* Gemma ducks under the water. When she comes back up, she swims over to James.
* James holds her too him- "took you long enough"
Gemma> I told you I just needed to get used to it.
James> so- (james contines swimming around) what are we gonna do tonight after dinner?
Gemma> Well, that all depends... Did you make those scissors?
James> (even relaxed james likes to have a game plan)
James> scissors- I've got the stuff, I'm gonna make them here- what do you want them for?
* Gemma just kind of hangs where she is, bobbing up and down with the waves
Gemma> I don't even know if I need them, actually... I just need a bit of your fairy hair.
James> yours or mine?
Gemma> Yours.
James> I cold go wyrd...
* Gemma nods "yes"
Gemma> That's probably needed... I need some of yours. I need some of mine, but I can get that any time. I need to know if you mind Cupid sleeping with you.
James> I don't mind-
James> Maybe I'll make them anyway- you did say there was a blowjob for payment, didn't you?
Gemma> Good. Good. I don't sleep without him. And since he seems so attached to your room...
* James smiles jokingly
* Gemma quickly ducks under the water
* Gemma pops back up closer to James than she was before
Gemma> No. I never said that.
Gemma> I said it was a *hand* job. There's a big difference.
James> oh- yes- well, what If I made you a swiss army knife?
James> what do you need the hair for any how?
Gemma> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 2 10 8 3 7 2
* Gemma shrugs. "I just have something I want to do."
James> women- go figure- James says just before he attempts to tackle you-
James> !dice 1 7
* DiceWell James rolls 1d10 at difficulty 7. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 6
James> and fails
mgrasso> *snort*
* Gemma artfully dodges and laughs as James just splashes face-down into the water
Gemma> Don't you trust me, mijo? Do you think I'm going to cast a big bad spell on you?
James> Do you think I think you think I would think that?
* James smiles staring bland eyed and glasses less at the spot he could have sworn gemma was standing
James> (blind not bland
James> )
mgrasso> (by the way, guys, we're going to go 3-parts with this)
mgrasso> (I have a perfect place to stop)
James> Alright
Gemma> I think you're going to get wrinkly.
mgrasso> (But please, go on, towel yourselves off.)
* Gemma heads out of the water and over to where the towels are at
James> and shrunken- lets get outta here
Gemma> Shrunken? How shrunken? Let me check...
* Gemma snaps the waist to James' trunks
James> you have no bases for comparison my dear...
Gemma> And just how do you know?
Gemma> I mean, not that I had Cupid spy on you while you changed or anything...
* Gemma squeezes water out of her hair
James> well- how shrunken I am would be compared against me, now wouldn't it- and unless you were molesting me at our little sleep over- not that I would have minded...
Gemma> Let's just say you sleep very soundly. I bet you had great dreams last night.
James> Let's just say I hope that tonight my dreams are even better.
* Gemma chuckles
mgrasso> You guys heading back up to the house?
James> yeah, for showers and dinner clothes

Scene Three: Shower
mgrasso> So Gemma heads outside to the little shed that contains the shower (am I right, Mandy?)
Gemma> (the shower's outside?)
mgrasso> (I seem to have that down in James' description of the house to Gemma on Pranksgiving.)
James> There is one inside and one outside- James insists that you try the cape cod commodity "the out door shower"
mgrasso> (heh, excellent)
mgrasso> Gemma, heading out with your stuff to shower?
Gemma> If by "stuff" you mean James, sure.
mgrasso> Heh.
James> !dice 6 4
* DiceWell James rolls 6d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 3 3 8 8 9 6
Gemma> !dice 7 7
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 7d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 6 successes.
* DiceWell 8 10 10 4 9 9 7
mgrasso> Is James getting ready inside with the indoor shower?
James> unless she was serious about him being her stuff... :)
Gemma> I totally was! But thanks to Mike i already took my shower. ::glowers at him::
mgrasso> Nah, James had his hands full inside. :)
Gemma> I bet. ::polite cough::
mgrasso> Polite. Sure.
* Gemma breezes through the house in a robe, looking for James
mgrasso> James is crouched in the corner by the fireplace, whispering.
* Gemma watches James for a moment, then says, "Having a nice conversation?"
James> James smiles- yeah.
James> You want to play strip poker later? you can wear that.
Gemma> Do you always talk to things? How many conversations have you had with my underwear? Do they miss me yet? They were my favorite pair.
* Gemma sits down and begins to comb her hair
Gemma> I'm not good at card games. How about strip Connect-4?
James> Fair enough.
James> or strip dirty word scrabble
Gemma> Hmm... Sure you want to risk it? I have an excellent vocabulary.
James> and I'm a nocker.
* Gemma patiently works a snarl out of her hair
Gemma> So I've noticed.
Gemma> Listen, I also noticed somoething else... There's burns on the side of your shower out there. Any reason why?
James> I'll go look
mgrasso> James tromps outside to the shed holding the shower.
mgrasso> The wooden part of the shed features three rather fresh scorch marks, in no particular pattern. They are perfectly circular, and about 6 inches in diameter each.
* Gemma follows
James> what the furk?
Gemma> Exactly.
mgrasso> They don't burn all the way through the wood, they're just like little scorch marks.
mgrasso> Blackening the wood in a perfect circle, three times.
James> like a branding iron- but why?
mgrasso> It's a full circle, too... like the whole circle is burned.
mgrasso> It's not a ring.
James> i'll talk to the shower-
mgrasso> Heh, okay.
mgrasso> Bunk?
* James does a rain dance, a stereotypical one, and then turns on the shower and shouts joyfully
mgrasso> Heh. I'll make that a simple Bunk, so Stamina + Prop, diff. 7.
James> !dice 6 7
* DiceWell James rolls 6d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 9 3 7 1 2 7
mgrasso> Three questions, James.
James> what's with the burn marks?
mgrasso> The shower sings to you, a song you've probably sung in there before, by They Might Be Giants... o/~ "blue canary in the outlet by the lightswitch/who watches over you?/make a little birdhouse in your soul..." o/~ and then fades away.
mgrasso> Two more. *devious grin*
James> when did you get those burns?
* James shakes his head helplessly
Gemma> !dice 4 9
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 4d10 at difficulty 9. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 9 1 1 1
mgrasso> The shower makes a sound like a clock ticking, 3 times.
* James raises his hands in an I give up motion "is gemma as hot naked as she is dressed?"
mgrasso> The shower makes that *ssssss* sound you do when you're pretending to touch someone. And that's it. :)
* Gemma laughs
Gemma> James, dear, you ask the right questions to the wrong things. I better get dressed.
mgrasso> (I did want to get a little further tonight, but we can leave off going to dinner.)
* James smiles
* Gemma turns, drops her robe, and heads into the house stark naked.
mgrasso> (Oh my word!)
Gemma> (of course, all James can see is the back of her. Poor boy)
mgrasso> (What a... nice end. ENDING! Ending.)
James> :)
Gemma> (Damn right it's a nice end. She has enough appearance dots for it ;) )
mgrasso> Well, that was fun. I like RP a lot. :)
James> ha, james' jaw is allthe way to the ground
mgrasso> And next week, we'll get to actually do some stuff. ;-)
James> :)
mgrasso> So, shall we say next Sunday, same time? And then Tucson Changeling comes back next Thursday?
Gemma> That'll work. You sure you don't want to do whatever it was you wanted us to end with tonight, though?
mgrasso> Nah, it's good. I like the streaking as an ending. Perfect. :)