Chapter Five: Lion of the Sands

Scene One: Gemma in the Hospital
You awaken in a hospital bed, and it is dark outside the window. You have an IV in your arm, and your consciousness scrabbles for a foothold. Your field of vision is blurry, and it takes a while to see the rest of the room around you. It looks like you are in an intensive care unit. Your body feels fine, even though you remember... what happened, exactly? You have some trouble recollecting. You were on vacation with James, and had come back, but what happened after that? Great pain, sure, but... it all seems so strange.

You notice that someone has been thoughtful enough to put your little stuffed animal sheep, Cupid, in your bed with you. Cupid's so cute, you think, smiling to yourself with great relief and security. For years, you've had him, and you've always carried him around with you, as if he were a real-live friend.

_As if_...? you think to yourself. _But I'm sure I remember him leaping around all by himself, having fun and smiling at me with his little stitch mouth. No, that was only a childish dream_... you realize. Only a dream.

Scene Two: James in the Hospital
Your dreams were frantic. Jump-cuts abounded, and they seemed to revolve around you being a secret agent on a mission to break the enemy's codes, while romancing an exotic, dark-haired woman. Those were nice dreams, but reality is a far cry from these follies.

You awaken in a hospital bed, the cold steel bars gleaming off the lights out in the street. You fumble around frantically in the bed for your palm pilot, or a cell phone, or any way of communicating with outside world. Eventually, you find the only method of communication available to you: the nurse call button. You slam your hand down on it over and over again, hoping someone will give you some answers...

Scene Three: Release
They released you both at 8 am the day after your mutual collapse, unable to figure out what was wrong with you. You were found, they said, by a driver returning to his car in the Tucson airport parking lot, on the ground near the doors of James' car, alive but unresponsive. Two people in spontaneous comas, the doctors said, is just unheard of. They even took the precaution of contacting everyone on the flight from Boston, asking them if they had felt sick. All tests, the doctors say, came back negative. They contacted Gemma's parents, who immediately came to her side yesterday.

Gemma's parents come to pick her up at the hospital, and, surprisingly, take James home with them as well. They both seem oddly distracted, as if their grief over their daughter had fractured them in some important way. One thing is for certain, Gemma can determine: her parents have lost some essential spark.

Gemma and James sit in the back seat and try to puzzle out what happened to them. Both of you have gaps in your memory, but you do share the feeling that you'd been attacked; mugged, perhaps. But each of you had your valuables still in your possession.

You get back to Gemma's house, and James calls work from there, telling them that he'll be in the office in a couple of days. In the meantime, Gemma's parents start interrogating her about what happened the night they returned from the trip. After this prompting, Gemma shouts, "I don't know, okay? I can't remember what happened!" and starts crying. James walks over and puts an arm around her as Gemma's parents look on with that same look of distracted worry.

It is only when Gemma and James get alone with each other in Gemma's bedroom that they start to figure out what happened to them.

"Do you even remember the vacation very well?" James says to Gemma.

"There are parts I can't remember. Like the first day we got there. For some reason, I can't remember anything about it. I know we went to dinner, but after dinner, it's all a blur. Did we go for a walk on the beach?" Gemma says.

"No, it wasn't a beach, we went down to the basement. I think." James looks frustrated. "Fuck, Gemma, what's happening to us?"

"I don't know. I really don't." Gemma glances sidelong at Cupid, who's back in his usual place on top of Gemma's bureau. "I don't know what happened, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough. It'll all come back to us. Maybe we should go over to Chet's to chill out. He'll be home, I'm sure."

"Chet?" James says. "Why should we go there?"

"I just have a feeling," Gemma says. "Besides," Gemma says as she gathers Cupid into her handbag, "don't you want to have a free breakfast?"

Scene Four: At Chet's
Gemma and James take James' car, which was impounded by the police, over to Chet's house on Euclid Street. The place is its usual bustle of slacker activity. You can see two of the roommates flinging a frisbee back and forth on the front lawn. Neither of them say anything as the two of you walk to Chet's front door.

You knock on the door, and Chet's erstwhile girlfriend Melinda walks to the door and greets you. "Chet? James and Gemma are here!" she shouts upstairs to his bedroom. You hear a loud grunt of disapproval (sounds like Chet wasn't awake yet) and a shout back of "Okay, I'm on my way down."

Chet appears in a ratty beige bathrobe and his hair pulled back with a hastily-procured bedside scrunchie. He's quite a contrast to Melinda's freshly-scrubbed model good-looks, as he walks over to Melinda and puts his arm around her waist. Then he sees Gemma and James, and his eyes goggle. [Joe: Chet sees that Gemma and James have no fae miens to speak of.]

"Good God! What happened to you! Oh no!" Chet seems unusually non-mellow, and Melinda, James, and Gemma all seem surprised at his reaction. "Gemma, James," he shouts, "what happened?"

James says, "Well, we were in the hospital..." and drifts off. Gemma interrupts, "What's the problem, Chet? Why are you all bothered?"

Chet calms down a bit, and says to you, "Gemma, James... what made you come here? Do you remember how we all met? How you know me?"

"Sure," Gemma says cheerfully. "We came here with Ingrid and Jack and... um. We were all sitting around here talking, and I think the next morning we came by for some breakfast? James?"

James isn't much more help. "I think we were over here because of Jack, but after that, like, the day after, we all went somewhere. I don't remember where."

Chet says, "Okay, listen to me, you two. You need to sleep here tonight. I repeat: you *need* to sleep here tonight. In fact, you'd better stay here all day long. Gemma, you wanted some lessons in weaving, right? Now's the time. Are you hungry? Let me make you feel comfortable."

As Chet begins to bustle around, it looks like there's a superimposed image of a much smaller Chet bustling around into the kitchen at the same time. But Gemma and James shake that off.

James sits down at the coffee table with his laptop and logs in. As he does, Gemma sits down in the living room and turns on the TV. Chet comes back to the living room about five minutes after leaving with a pot of coffee, huge amounts of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and french toast. James looks into Chet's face for a second and says, "Is this fresh? How'd you make it so quick?"

Chet simply says, "All it'll take is a bite, James. You'll remember."

Gemma sips her coffee and James digs into bacon and pancakes and the world seems to fill with color. In fact, for a second, Gemma and James each separately wonder if Chet has spiked their food and drink with some sort of hallucinogen. But it's no vision. It's reality. True reality.

Just when Cupid comes leaping out of Gemma's handbag, Gemma lets a few silent tears escape her eyes. "I remember now." she says, clutching Cupid to her.

Scene Five: Remembrance
Gemma settles Cupid onto her lap and rubs her eyes as though trying to relieve a headache. She clears her throat harshly. She digs through her bag and pulls out an old-fashioned cardboard pencil box decorated with colorful stylized Aztec drawings. When she sets it on the coffee table and opens it, Chet and James can see several lengths of thin crimson ribbon, a couple of cropped pictures of James' eyes, a lock of James' fae hair bound with a crimson ribbon, and her mechanical pencil/chimerical dagger.

"I remember," she says again, putting Cupid down on the couch. She pulls out a ribbon and goes over to James. Ignoring his questioning look, she takes his hand and ties the ribbon around his finger, then slips it off.

"Yeah, I remember being attacked in the airport parking lot. I don't know what the hell I did to provoke being killed, Chet, but I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. I know at least one person wants me dead -- do you remember those thugs, Chet? The ones who said they'd been hired to kill me? Hopefully by the same person who lobbed those lovely crossbow bolts through me. Really, really fine workmanship. I bet a nocker made them." She dumps the still-tied ribbon in her pencil box and takes out the dagger. She toys with it for a moment, her eyes locked on James. "I don't think it had anything to do with our vacation in Cape Cod. I can't speak for James, but I think we had a pretty uneventful trip together."

Gemma gathers her hair together and taps her neck with the dagger's blade. "Let's see... We had a lot of bland American seafood, way too much alcohol -- or at least I did, which was probably why I was dehydrated enough for an IV at the hospital -- some fun with talking showers... Oh, and James killed a redcap servant of some drag queen named Mab."

She sighs. There's an odd expression on Gemma's face for a moment. As soon as it passes, she takes the dagger and roughly hacks her fae hair off. Carefully, she ties the long, thick bundle of hair with one of the ribbons from her box. Once it's safely tucked in the box, she sets about chopping the straggly bits of hair she has left until she has a crude, shaggy mess of short hair. She tosses the dagger in the box and then puts the whole thing back in her bag. Cupid jumps back onto her lap and stomps about in what looks to be protest. Chet and James can barely make out angry little mewling noises.

Gemma calmly pets Cupid and says, "Shhh... you know why... But anyway, that's what happened. I need a nap..." She curls up with Cupid and closes her eyes.

James walks over to the sleeping Gemma, and crouches down so that his face is level with hers. "What the furk?" he says quietly to Chet. "What the hell is she talking about" He reaches out a hand as if to touch Gemma's head, and then draws it back - looking at Chet. "And her hair... why would she do that to herself?"

James continues, "Chet, she's right about us just being ambushed by arrows, and our attackers wore red and black cloaks, but... " James gets up and walks quietly across the room. He looks hurt and confused "uneventful.... she said...I had thought...." James shakes his head violently, and stands there for a moment and then walks back over to the couch. He sits next to Gemma protectively- "Chet, this is one fucked up girl we have lying here; and If I'm going to keep her safe, I need all the facts... and Lord knows I'll never get them from her."

Scene Six: Chet and James
mgrasso> Okay guys. I imagine the two of you are in the kitchen while Gemma catnaps (ha) in the living room.
James> (well, lets start with where I left off in the e-mail)
James> Chet, this is one fucked up girl we have lying here; and If I'm going to keep her safe, I need all the facts- and lord knows I'll never get them from her.
Chet> Son, you've got me all confused here, which is no mean feat. Would you care to explain what it is you're talking about?
James> where do you want me to start?
Chet> At the beginning is usually good.
Chet> You were attacked?
James> yeah, but actually, that's the end... but maybe right now it's the only important part- fuck chet, I don't know.
Chet> Well right now all I know is you two come stumbling in here after god knows what happened - you're all messed up. What got you two into this state?
James> well, we went on vacation, I had an amazing time- I, I thought she had too... but I don't know now.
James> We took our flight home, and were going to the car
Chet> YOu went on vacation?
* James smiles
James> are you surprised that we put up with eachother that long or that I actually took time off from work?
Chet> A little of both.
* James smiles again
Chet> The work more than the relationship...
* Chet winks
Chet> So you went on vacation and had an "amazing time", eh?
Chet> Well good for you.
* Chet pats James on the back.
* James makes the "zipping up" motion over his lips
Chet> !dice 7 5
* DiceWell Chet rolls 7d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 5 4 8 6 10 1 8
Chet> So was it your first "amazing time" on vacation?
* James narrows his eyes at chet and then laughs heartily
James> shut the furk up you!
* James smiles
Chet> Well, if it *was* your first amazing time and you wind up in that condition, I'd heartily recommend that it be your last "amazing time".
James> anyway, back to the matter at hand.
* Chet smiles back at James and sticks his head into the fridge.
James> anyway, I was going to unlock my car door, when I looked up and saw Gemma slumping over the car side, arrow straight through her, blood everwhere.
Chet> Where was this?
James> Tucson airport
James> I ran over to her, all panicked, and thats when they got me too
* Chet returns with a pitcher of sun-brewed iced tea and fills a plastic big gulp cup.
Chet> Who?
James> before I died, I saw a group of people out of the corner of my eyes
James> all I could make out was that they were dressed in red and black cloaks
James> (mike, was it red with black trim, viceversa, or did I not notice?)
mgrasso> (black with red trim)
James> (thanks)
James> black with red trim- and then I blacked out.
Chet> Were they fae?
mgrasso> (they'd have to be fae to cause chimerical death, Chet)
James> yeah- or I assume so, they shot us with chimerical arrows
Chet> I'd assume they were...
Chet> But you couldn't make anything else out...
James> No. nothing else. Anyway, we lay unconcious in the parkinglot untill some one found us and brought us to the hospital
James> and when I came too, the world was so dark, so ugly, and my memory was missing these huge gaps.
Chet> What were you doing on this vacation? I just wonder if they were following you the whole time.
James> When Gemma and I finally got a moment to talk, we were confused- she suggested we come here.... I'm so glad she did.
mgrasso> (brb, real quick)
James> we did mostly touristy stuff- except for the first day.
Chet> Well maybe this will help you feel better, too.
* Chet pulls out a hand rolled cigarette from his t-shirt pocket.
Chet> !dice 5 7
* DiceWell Chet rolls 5d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 10 1 8 8 5
James> sure.
* Chet pulls out his Zippo and opens it, releasing the flame within,
* Chet draws on the cigarette, puffing it to life.
* Chet inhales deeply and hands it to James.
mgrasso> Guys, can you both give me Perception + Alertness rolls, diff. 9?
* James takes it, does his thing, and hands it back.
James> !dice 2 9
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 9. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 7 2
James> anyway, I doubt that our vacation had anything to do with the assasins.
Chet> !dice 4 9
* DiceWell Chet rolls 4d10 at difficulty 9. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 7 1 7 7
James> (I guess we don't notice what ever the hell it is)
mgrasso> I guess not. :)
James> well chet, while Gemma was going through that lovely little one act play involving ritualistic head shaving, she mentioned thugs- what was that all about?
* Chet inhales again, thinking...
*** Gemma (dirtyswitch@pool-63.50.231.169.phnx.grid.net) has joined #Changeling-Tucson
mgrasso> (Is James smoking? Didn't he learn anything from that Brady Bunch episode?)
* Gemma walks in, yawning
James> (he's a speed adict, I doubt that smoking anything bothers him)
mgrasso> (tsk tsk :D)
Chet> Well, James, we had a little misadventure a while back when we first met that big troll.
Chet> Didn't I ever show you?
Chet> Damn, I can't believe I forgot...
Gemma> What are you guys talking about?
* Chet hands the rev cigarette to Gemma and rolld up his left sleeve to his shoulder.
Chet> Dude, check it out...
mgrasso> (oh, it's rev!)
* Gemma takes the cigarette and takes a long drag
* Chet points to a tiny, almost imperceptable scar on his shoulder.
James> ("well duh")
Gemma> Mm. Thanks.
Chet> Dude, I got shot...
James> woah.
* Gemma hands it back to Chet and sits down next to him.
Gemma> Showing that thing off again?
Chet> Remember that, Gemma? When those a-holes shot me?
Gemma> Of course I remember. Those jerks wanted to kill me.
James> what Jerks?
Chet> Sounds like you've pissed off the wrong people/
Gemma> I don't see how.
Chet> Although by now, that can't be news to you.
* Gemma smooths back a bit of Chet's hair. "You know, you have such a nice color..."
Gemma> Not really, no.
* Chet takes a step back and picks up his tea from the counter.
James> guys- please- explain?
Chet> Well, all I can tell you is that, assuming these guys were straight up fae, you've made some serious enemies in this community.
*** mgrasso sets mode: +o Gemma
Gemma> I don't see how. Unless Livia pissed people off and now that she's gone...
Chet> By the looks of their cloaks, black with red trim, they were either from House Fiona, or members of the court of Duchess Rachel out in Phoenix.
* Gemma gets a weird look on her face
Chet> Have you ever been to Phoenix?
Gemma> Hey, who dresses in silver?
Chet> Liberace?
* Gemma laughs
James> silver Gemma?
Gemma> Yeah. Silver.
Chet> Why?
James> what from?
* Gemma shrugs
Gemma> I just kind of can see silver, so I was wondering if it was a color tied to any house.
James> what do you mean "kind of can see"?
Chet> Tell me more about the silver?
Gemma> You know... I can see... ::She vaguely waves her hand in front of her face.::
Chet> Hold on.
* Chet opens the kitchen window.
Chet> Anyway, did you happen to wind up saving any of those crossbow bolts?
* Gemma rubs her face and sighs
mgrasso> They were arrows, and no, they dissolved from Banality.
* James puts a hand on Gemmas arm
James> you okay beautiful?
Chet> Well it sounds like you tow really stepped in it.
Gemma> Sure.
Gemma> Yeah. I'm great.
Chet> Let's go sit down in the living room. Anyone want something to drink?
Gemma> I do. something pink.
James> like a vodka and anything, sure sounds good
Chet> All right, you two go sit down. I'll be in in just a minute.
* Gemma goes to the living room, rubbing her hands together as if cold
Gemma> I don't like this... I really don't like this.
* Chet enters the living room with a drink in each hand and his big wooden bong tucked under one arm.
* Chet hands the pink drink to Gemma.
* Gemma whispers something to Chet as she takes the drink
* Gemma glances at James and sits down
* Chet waves a hand at her...
James> !dice 2 8
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 4 10
* Gemma sips her drink, eyeing Chet over the rim of the glass
* Chet hands the clear drink to James. It has two cocktail onions floating in it.
Chet> Careful with that one, son. It's a Mauri. It's got some kick and it'll put hair on your chest to boot...
Gemma> (Onions? Hey, my character has to kiss him!)
Chet> Everyone settle in close...
* Chet starts packing rev into the bong.
* Gemma scoots closer
Gemma> What are you up to?
Chet> OK everyone, join hands.
Gemma> Join hands? What is this, a prayer group?
Chet> Sort of...
* Chet puts his hands out...
* Gemma puts her drink down and takes Chet's chand, holding out her other for James to take
James> (oh)
* James takes a hearty swig of his drink and takes both hands
* Gemma closes her eyes and mutters, "Padre Nuestro, que estas en el cielo, santificado sea tu nombre..."
* Chet smiles..."I love it when a moment comes together."
* Chet squeezes their hands tightly.
Chet> Ready...
Chet> Set...
Chet> Go!
* Chet picks up the bong and directs Bob the flame down to light it.
* Gemma opens her eyes to stare at Chet
* Chet closes his eyes, takes a big draw and passes it to Gemma.
mgrasso> Chet, Stamina + Empathy, diff. 8
* Gemma takes a big draw, then passes it to James
Chet> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Chet rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 7 7 10 10 7
mgrasso> Gemma, same roll.
* James does his thing and passes it back to chet
Gemma> !dice 3 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 3d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 9 3 5
mgrasso> James, same roll.
* Gemma licks her lips
James> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell James rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 9 10 5 8 4
* Chet accepts the bong and holds it steady, extinguishing the rev withthe case of the zippo.
Chet> Yeah...

Scene Seven: Vision
mgrasso> First, Chet seems to go into a distant stare after smoking his share, his eyes focusing on a far corner of the room.
mgrasso> Then, after Gemma's puff, her mind seems to go somewhere else.
mgrasso> James gets to watch the transformation of his surroundings with much more acuity. He sees Chet's living room disappear around the three of them, couch, TV, and objets d'art fading like an etch-a-sketch as it is superseded by a bleak desert landscape.
mgrasso> Off in the distance, the three of you can see San Xavier del Bac, even though this is clearly not the desert surrounding the freehold in our world.
mgrasso> Chet, you look the same as your fae mien. James, you look pretty much the same, too, except you are wearing Lawrence-of-Arabia-style silks. It's Gemma who looks completely different.
James> (...)
mgrasso> Gemma looks for all the world like an eshu. Her complexion, already somewhat dark, is more like burnished mahogany. Her ears, pointed and tapered, poke out from underneath an exquisite violet silk turban.
mgrasso> She even has a fine scimitar at her side.
mgrasso> I need everyone to make two separate Perception + Alertness rolls. One at diff. 6, one at diff. 8.
Chet> !dice 4 6
* DiceWell Chet rolls 4d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 5 8 9 2
Chet> !dice 4 8
* DiceWell Chet rolls 4d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 6 7 8 3
Gemma> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 9 4 6 8 9 9 5
James> !dice 2 6
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 3 7
James> !dice 2 8
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 5 9
Gemma> !dice 7 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 7d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 9 4 5 7 10 4 10
* Gemma moves away from the group and stops about 10 feet away from Chet and James. She crouches and brushes sand away from something.
mgrasso> Gemma extracts a dark wooden sculpture. Gemma and Chet: Intelligence + Art History rolls.
Chet> (Diff. ?)
mgrasso> Sorry! Um, 6.
Chet> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Chet rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 9 6 2 10 4
Gemma> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 2 4 1 8 5
* Gemma rejoins Chet and James, sculpture in hand
* Chet takes the sculpture from Gemma and turns it over in his hands, examining it.
James> what is it?
* Gemma examines her clothes and her arms. She feels her face and her ears.
Chet> Interesting...
Gemma> What is?
Chet> You...this statue...all of it...
James> yes "interesting" what the fuck does it mean?
* Chet looks Gemma up and down and looks at the statue again.
Gemma> What's the statue? Why am I an eshu?
Chet> I'm not sure what it means.
Chet> Yet...
Chet> It's not real.
Gemma> Obviously!
Chet> Well you're an eshu.
mgrasso> You hear a roar from behind all of you, and a leonine voice says, "No, it is all too real."
James> alright- so this is our pre concious overlaping our unconcious or something?
Gemma> Oh, holy mother, not again.
* Chet turns around to face the voice.
James> what!?
mgrasso> Turning to face this voice, you see a magnificent lion, with silver fur that gleams in the mid-day sun.
* Gemma turns around and backs up several steps
James> oh lovely, asland- what do you want?
mgrasso> The lion, a maneless female, approaches James very very slowly.
Chet> Hey, it's best to *not* mouth off to the vision, son.
mgrasso> "What do I want? I have already accomplished what I want."
* Gemma takes another step back
mgrasso> Her voice is regal and self-assured.
|James> /me takes a step foreward
James> and that would be...?
* Chet steps between James and the lion.
Chet> !dice 7 8
* DiceWell Chet rolls 7d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 3 2 9 6 3 9 6
James> hey, chet, I'm talking with her highness
mgrasso> James and the lion are facing each other down.
Gemma> Chet, be careful
mgrasso> "I am indeed pleased, young one, that you recognize royalty when you see it." the lion says to James.
mgrasso> James, Charisma + Intimidation, diff. 8.
* Chet steps back and walks back to Gemma.
* Chet extends a hand to her.
James> !dice 3 8
* DiceWell James rolls 3d10 at difficulty 8. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 10 1 1
James> wp to avoid the botch
mgrasso> Fair enough.
James> /me drops to one knee- recognises and respects your majesty- we are, however, confused about the situation.
* Chet pulls a composition book out of his bag and begins drawing and writing in it.
mgrasso> "Confused? I can believe that, little nocker. That is likely. It seems there is one among you who only spreads chaos and confusion."
* Gemma glances at Chet
* Chet whispers, "Well she's not talking about *me*, sister..."
* Chet pats her on the arm to reassure her.
James> you get used to it after a while majesty
* Chet returns to his writing.
* Gemma laughs despite herself, although it sounds more weepy than amused
mgrasso> "No. When you build a kingdom from the ground up, and one seeks to usurp you, or destroy that which one loves, that is dangerous." The lion stretches its neck and roars.
Gemma> What does that have to do with us?
James> now your highness- I'm sure our little pooka has been up to no such things
Gemma> Yeah, I've never ... never done anything like that.
mgrasso> "I see no pooka before me," the lion states with a slight smirk crossing its fang-laden maw.
James> oh. She's not really an esue, majesty
Gemma> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 8 10 2 3 3
mgrasso> "She is not really anything, though. She is nothing, if I say so."
Gemma> So why do you want to kill me so badly?
Gemma> Why did you attack me when I first saw you?
mgrasso> Gemma tries to speak to the lion, but her words are swallowed up and nothing comes out of her mouth.
James> Please... she is something to me, to those who know her.
mgrasso> "When one stands too close to a flame," the lion again smiles with self-satisfaction, "one may burn oneself."
Gemma> James? James, ask her! Ask her why she wants to hurt me!
James> yes, but is it better to burn up in beauty or to die without ever really living?
James> majesty, why do you want to hurt her?
mgrasso> (Response to first question first)
* Chet continues sketching.
mgrasso> The lion looks slightly wistful at James' statement, and says, "I have been trying to puzzle that out for myself for quite some time."
mgrasso> "I wish to hurt her for the havoc she has wreaked upon that which I love."
Gemma> What in god's name is she talking about? What havoc? James?
James> how, your majesty, how?
* Gemma looks pleadingly at James
James> shhhh Gemma, I'll try to find out.
* Chet puts a hand on Gemma's arm..."Just let hm talk."
mgrasso> The lion says only two words as the vision fades and Chet's living room begins to slip in front of the scenery all around you, "My love."
* James looks down at his feet and mutters something to himself
mgrasso> Chet, you see that while you were in the vision, you were actually sketching on your real sketch pad.
* Gemma runs her hand over herself
Gemma> Am I still...?
mgrasso> Gemma is a pooka.
James> meow
* Gemma sighs in relief as she feels her little cat ears
* James walks over to gemma and enfolds her in his long awkward arms
* Chet continues writing in his composition book. Trying to capture every detail before it fades.
mgrasso> Gemma, you have the chimerical eshu statuette. It only exists in the Dreaming.
mgrasso> And that should wrap it up for tonight!
James> I'm going to do my best Gemma, my very best, to keep anything from hurting you.
*** Chet is now known as Joe
*** James is now known as Mandy
*** Gemma is now known as Erica
Joe> Yay! Great session...
mgrasso> That *was* fun.
Mandy> yeay!
Erica> Yeah!
Joe> Woohoo! Someone's trying to kill Gemma! Uh, I mean, sorry Erica...
Erica> Hey!
mgrasso> Heh.