Scene Two
Scene Three
Scene Four
Chapter Eight: Showdown
Scene One: At Chet's
mgrasso> And now... we shall begin at about 7 am at Chet's house.
mgrasso> Chet and Ingrid are the first to arrive.
mgrasso> Chet, of course, because he lives there. :)
mgrasso> We were going to meet and strategize over pancakes. :)
mgrasso> Chet and Ingrid can talk about what they found.
mgrasso> And then I'll have other people just wander in.
* Ingrid knocks at Chet's door, glancing at the inscription.
mgrasso> (Mandy: no prob)
* Chet wanders around the living room before settling in to a chair and lighting a Camel Light.
Chet> Come in - it's open@!
mgrasso> Ingrid arrives, and about a minute later, Travis strides in.
* Chet shouts again, "Come in dammit!"
Ingrid> Sounds like a typical date for you, Gemma.
* Chet comes out of the kitchen with a hot tea in a Green Lantern mug.
Chet> Drinks anyone?
Ingrid> Coffee?
Travis> Sure! Do you have a Perrier?
Chet> Perrier, or just anything with bubbles in it?
* Travis looks around.
Travis> Perrier, please.
* Chet walks back into the kitchen and returns with a steaming mug and a generic bottled water.
Chet> Here you go.
Travis> You didn't just run this from a tap, did you?
Chet> Yes. I just ran it from the tap and magically resealed the bottlecap.
mgrasso> Travis, you've never been in Chet's before, I'm assuming, so I'll direct you to the log of our first visit: http://www.homegame.org/mgrasso/diversion/chapter14.html
* Ingrid takes her coffee and wraps her hands around the hot mug.
Chet> Hope you like it black.
Travis> Well, *someone's* at home to Mr. Bitchy.
Ingrid> That's perfect.
* Chet settles into the chair with "Chet" written on it.
* Chet rubs his eyes and light another cigarette.
Chet> Did anyone find anything useful?
Ingrid> I found out some stuff. How about you?
* Gemma shows up next, mother in tow. Mrs Esquer is a few inches taller than Gemma, with the same fair skin and green eyes -- unlike Gemma's eyes, however, they don't seem to shift colors and capture light in the same way. Her dark blonde hair is pulled back into a chigon and her dark blue suit is professional and simple, but obviously well-tailored and expensive.
Chet> I found about $2.75 in the back of my sock drawer...
Travis> No.
Ingrid> Behind the meth lab?
Chet> Under it, actually...
* Ingrid smiles.
* Chet grimaces slightly.
mgrasso> Gemma's mother looks around dubiously at the front room.
Chet> Anyone want anything to eat or drink?
Gemma> Hey, guys, I'd like you to meet my mother.
* Ingrid walks over to introduce herself.
Gemma> Mother, this is Chet, James, Travis, and Ingrid.
Travis> Don't ask for water, Gemma.
Ingrid> Hello Mrs. Esquer. It's a pleasure to meet you.
Gemma> Why, Travis?
mgrasso> Gemma's mother walks up to Ingrid and shakes her hand. "A pleasure."
* Ingrid smiles her tv smile.
James> (i'm not there yet)
* Chet stands up and extends a hand to Mrs. Esquer.
mgrasso> "Hello, Chet, was it?"
Chet> Yes. PLeased to make your acquaintance. I was just about to start breakfast. Would you like anything, ma'am?
mgrasso> Mrs. Esquer looks around furtively. "Is there anywhere we can sit down and talk for a bit?"
Chet> Sit anywhere you like.
* James walks in, a dunkin donuts coffey in one hand and half an egg mc muffin in the other... he finishes the muffin in one and then says "Did someone say breakfast?"
mgrasso> Mrs. Esquer eventually settles on the couch, and takes out a number of sheets of paper from her briefcase.
* Chet walks into the kitchen and returns within a minute with an egg, chip, and salsa concoction.
* James glances at Gemmas mom. "hi Mrs. Esquer"
* Chet eats and listens at the same time.
* Gemma gives James a hug and a quick peck on the lips
* Ingrid sips at her coffee.
mgrasso> Mrs. Esquer smiles at James and returns to her work, handing out some photocopies to everyone.
mgrasso> Joanne and her boss, Dr. Arneson, walk in next, just as Mrs. Esquer is preparing to brief you all.
* Chet wipes his hand on his shorts and accepts the copies while holding his plate in the other hand.
James> /me smiles at Gemma "morning babe"
mgrasso> "Now, I've done a small amount of research on your problem, and it seems like it's a basic public safety vs. quality of life issue here."
* Ingrid looks at the photocopies.
mgrasso> The photocopies are a short agenda, summarizing the "attack points" that Mrs. Esquer hopes to touch upon before the Board.
mgrasso> Dr. Arneson, especially, is looking at these. He has his own presentation he plans on making.
mgrasso> (By the way, Joanne introduced you all to him. :D)
* Chet finishes his breakfast, takes his plate into the kitchen, and returns to his seat.
mgrasso> Eventually, Dr. Arneson, Mrs. Esquer, and Joanne agree that they will go before the board with their hour's-worth of time. You folks are going to be the backup if anything... weird happens while we're there, if you catch my drift.
mgrasso> There are plenty of seats for the public to watch the board meetings.
James> cool
mgrasso> Ingrid, you have made plans to make a live spot for KVOA from the board meeting when it's over at noon.
* Chet pulls his hair back into a ponytail, picking a scrunchie off the pile of junk on the coffee table.
Ingrid> I think Dr. Arneson and Mrs. Esquer should know that they'll be going up against a corporate law firm at the meeting.
Travis> I don't think I can justify using my film crew for this, but I can certainly take notes in a very visible fashion.
James> their case was seamless, but their suits were cheap
mgrasso> Dr. Arneson sighs, his shoulders going limp at the sound of Ingrid's pronouncement. He's a balding, 50-something scientisty type. "I figured they would. It's pretty easy for them to just send a couple of junior partners over to the meeting. They'll have a lot of money and time on us. All we have is the force of our beliefs."
Ingrid> Apparently the chain of convenience stores and gas stations have hired them to represent their interests.
Ingrid> Yes, I'm afraid that's true.
James> (brb)
mgrasso> "Well, at least now we have substantial backup. I'm also glad to see," Dr. Arneson says to Ingrid, "that the media aren't *completely* unbiased."
mgrasso> Dr. Arneson smiles.
Ingrid> Or at least biased on the side of the angels, right, Doctor?
* Ingrid grins.
mgrasso> "Exactly."
mgrasso> So, shall we go downtown to the board meeting?
Ingrid> Sure!
Chet> Let's
Scene Two: Meeting's Start
mgrasso> Excellent. Taking a number of different vehicles, you all make your way down to the County municipal offices.
mgrasso> There's a medium-sized crowd for this hearing. Gang, there are seats in the public section near to your team, or you can sit on the other side behind the table of the opponents. Where would people like to sit?
James> (back)
mgrasso> (Ingrid, you are with some of the other reporters in the media section.)
Travis> In the public section. The more visible, the better.
mgrasso> Dr. Arneson, Joanne, and Mrs. Esquer make their way up to their table before the board's dais.
Gemma> Public section, definitely.
James> I'd like to sit behind our opponent
* Chet pulls up a chair behind the opposition.
James> s
* Ingrid looks slowly around the room.
mgrasso> James and Chet sit two rows behind the opponents' table. No one for the opposing side has arrived yet. It is currently 8:30 am.
mgrasso> Ingrid looks around. Wits + scan, diff. 6
* Chet peers rather unsubtly over their shoulders, examining the contents of the desk in front of them.
mgrasso> There's no one there yet, Chet.
Chet> (how many people are here?)
Ingrid> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 6 1 3 2 2
mgrasso> (In the crowd, probably right now 15-20 spectators)
Chet> (what separates us from the opposition's table?)
mgrasso> The board members start to make their way to their seats.
* Gemma wanders around the crowd of people, talking to people here and there
* Travis preens.
mgrasso> (Chet: two rows of seats and a little rail.)
Gemma> !dice 6 4
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 7 9 6 1 9 9
* Chet tries to make his way towards Ingrid.
* Chet tries to get her attention....
mgrasso> Around 8:40 now. A couple of board members sip their coffee on the dais. No oppoents have yet arrived.
Chet> Ingrid?
* Ingrid sees Chet waving at her.
Ingrid> What's up, Chet?
Chet> Can I have a stick of that gum, again?
Ingrid> Uh, sure.
* Ingrid searches in her bag for some gum.
Gemma> Hey, Ingrid! Guess what?
Chet> !dice 4 8
* DiceWell Chet rolls 4d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 8 5 6 3
Ingrid> What?
Gemma> Doc, you too.
* Ingrid locates her gum and hands some to Chet.
Gemma> These people are nuts! Absolutely nuts. They love you. They don't care about the safety at all.
Gemma> Isn't that great?
Chet> Crap...
Gemma> All they want are extra bright lights so that their signs will attract more customers. So you're only up against pure greed!
* Gemma smiles brightly
mgrasso> Gemma's mom turns around and looks at Gemma.
Chet> You know, the opposition may not be here for some time.
* Gemma suddenly falters as though she just remembered her mother was there
mgrasso> 8:45.
Ingrid> why not?
Chet> They don't have to be here at the same time. The proponents state their case, then the opposition. They don't have to be here during our side's arguments.
Ingrid> Interesting. That hardly seems fair considering we have yet to see who we're up against.
Chet> I wonder if there's a time limit for our side to go...
Gemma> Mom? Do you know?
mgrasso> Dr. Arneson says, "We have 45 minutes, they have 45 minutes."
Chet> 45 minutes from now or from when the board convenes?
Chet> When does our 45 minutes start?
mgrasso> "From when the board convenes," Joanne says.
mgrasso> "From 9 to 9:45."
Chet> Excellent.
* Chet walks back over to behind the opposition's table.
mgrasso> So, now, people are starting to get settled in, and the whole board is present.
mgrasso> There's still no one over on the opposition's podium.
mgrasso> The head of the board, a middle-aged white male, calls the meeting to order and goes over the agenda.
* Chet starts rubbing his eraser on his notebook, rubbing out whole pages of text and sweeping the eraser remnants into a plastic baggie.
mgrasso> For 45 minutes, the proponents of the ordinance will present their case. For 45 minutes, the opponents will voice their opposition. And then for antoher 45 minutes, members of the public will be allowed to voice their concerns.
mgrasso> The meeting should be over and the vote done by noon.
mgrasso> So, Dr. Arneson and Joanne start off. Dr. Arneson does most of the talking.
mgrasso> You guys can help out with rolls!
mgrasso> I need Gemma to roll for her mom, 5 dice, diff. 6.
* Chet seems to be erasing every single page in the entire notebook and collecting the rubber "shavings".
Gemma> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 10 9 8 10 5
mgrasso> Ingrid: you can roll for Dr. Arneson, 4 dice, diff. 7.
Ingrid> !dice 4 7
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 4d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 7 7 9 9
Ingrid> wow :)
Gemma> (hoody hoo!)
Travis> (cool!)
mgrasso> And... Travis, you can vote for your fellow eshu, Joanne. 6 dice, diff. 6.
mgrasso> vote = roll
Travis> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell Travis rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 3 9 9 5 3 4
Travis> (hoody feh)
Scene Three: The Opposition
mgrasso> All right. Their presentation, with Mrs. Esquer's polishing, is quite convincing, it seems. The board does not seem antagonistic in their questioning. All this time, no one shows up for the oppositiion.
mgrasso> As the meeting breaks at 9:45, the board calls the counsel for the group Citizens and Businesses for a Safe Tucson, Mr. John Alson.
* Chet keeps erasing. When he has finished erasing the entire notebook, he begins writing again and erasing the newly written words.
mgrasso> The doors at the back of the chamber swing open. Standing in the doorway is Alson, as you saw him in the Dreaming. He is a sidhe and he is impeccably dressed. He wears an expensive tailored suit, which seems to be the same in his mortal seeming and his fae mien.
* Chet looks up and grins slightly.
mgrasso> He carries a briefcase and has a lump in the breast pocket of his thin jacket. James, Perception + Computers, diff. 6.
James> (how many dots of computers do I have?)
* Ingrid thinks to herself, "Too bad he's the bad guy..."
mgrasso> He strides confidently towards his table and examines each of the fae in the room with a cold, dead grin on his face.
James> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell James rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 9 5 2 6 8 4
* Gemma gives Alson her sweetest, most cheerful smile
mgrasso> "Thank you, Chairman." Alson's voice is deep and commanding, and he walks down the aisle towards his seat. "I must apologize for my tardiness. I wanted to be here for the first part of the hearing, but I had business I had to take care of."
* Chet keeps his eyes on Alson even as he continues erasing and gathering...
mgrasso> "If you'll just give me a moment," he says as he opens his briefcase, "to get settled, my assistant should be here shortly to help me."
* Chet leans over to whisper to Gemma...
mgrasso> "He'll be doing most of the presentation for our group. He's a local business owner with extensive ties to the community, and I thought it would be best for him to speak about the concerns of our group."
James> !dice 7 7
* DiceWell James rolls 7d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 5 4 3 6 6 9 7
* Gemma gets up and walks out
mgrasso> "Very well," the chairman says.
* Chet whispers to James...
Gemma> !dice 6 5
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 4 9 2 4 3 3
mgrasso> (Can i see some of these whispers?)
mgrasso> Thanks, guys.
Gemma> !dice 5 5
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 3 9 2 8 9
* James walks out after speaking briefly to Chet
mgrasso> James walks out.
Gemma> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 3 2 3 5 3
* Chet sits back in his seat. "This should be good..."
mgrasso> As he gets to the door, an older gentleman in shirtsleeves and a tie walks in.
mgrasso> James watches as the man walks by him and walks past the partition to the seat next to Alson.
mgrasso> Anybody got Area Knowledge Tucson?
* Chet shakes his head...
Chet> (me)
mgrasso> Perception + AK, diff. 6
Chet> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Chet rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 4 3 2 8 4
mgrasso> James is still standing in the aisle.
mgrasso> The older gentleman is not fae. He's just an ordinary mortal.
mgrasso> Anyone can make a Per + Kenning roll, diff. 6
* Gemma comes back in, retaking her seat next to Chet
Ingrid> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 3 2 1 4 4
Chet> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Chet rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 9 1 2 3 1 9 9
Travis> !dice 3 6
* DiceWell Travis rolls 3d10 at difficulty 6. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 1 1 4
Ingrid> (get that out of the way. :)
Travis> (furkin ding)
Chet> (::kicks Dicey::)
mgrasso> (Wow.)
* Gemma whispers to Chet
James> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell James rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 1 4 4 2 9 6
* Chet rummages around in his bag and produces a straw.
* Chet hands the straw to Gemma slyly.
mgrasso> Anyway, Alson stands up to the board and says, "I'd like to introduce Rodolfo Marquez. He's a local restauranteur and he's opposed to the stringent limits on lighting before the board today. He'll talk to you about his business, and at the end I'll take the opportunity to cover some other salient points. Rudy?"
* James goes back to his seat...
mgrasso> Senor Rudy stands up. A lot of you have never seen him in person before today.
James> that bastard!
Ingrid> Is that *our* Rudy?
* Chet tears off some paper and hands it to Gemma.
mgrasso> He's standing by Alson's side and thanks him for his introduction. He then begins to explain, in great detail, what the lighting limits would mean for the safety of his workers, some of whom leave very late at night and come in very early in the morning for the breakfast crowd.
* Gemma suddenly stifles a yawn
mgrasso> So, we left off, and Senor Rudy was talking about his business.
James> rah rah!
James> thebastard!
mgrasso> James: Perception + Alertness, diff. 5
mgrasso> (2 dice)
James> !dice 2
James> oops!
James> !dice 2 5
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 4 10
James> (I feel as betrayed as I did when I found out that american Joe's supported greyhound racing)
Chet> !dice 7 9
* DiceWell Chet rolls 7d10 at difficulty 9. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 10 8 3 2 1 10 2
* Ingrid finds herself nodding as Rudy makes his points.
Gemma> !dice 3 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 3d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 8 3 3
mgrasso> Gemma draws a straw from near her seat, and spits a spitball at Rudy. It hits him!
James> /me gives Gemma a stern yet hopeful look
James> (argh)
Gemma> (where does it hit him? :D)
mgrasso> Back of the head.
* Gemma gives the straw to Chet
* Ingrid shakes her head suddenly.
mgrasso> He doesn't notice... but Alson does. He glares at Gemma.
* James gives Alson the finger
mgrasso> Gemma, permanent Glamour and WP?
* Gemma blows a kiss at Alson
* Chet takes the straw back from Gemma.
Gemma> (oh, roll them?)
mgrasso> Rudy looks uncertain... he stops talking for a second, but Alson puts his hand on Rudy's shoulder and Rudy continues.
mgrasso> Nope.
mgrasso> Rudy continues on, but all of you seem pretty objective in your decisions about the merits of his argument.
mgrasso> The crowd of onlookers, however, have to restrain themsevles from applauding at certain points. Things are looking grim for the court of public opinion.
mgrasso> (hold on one second... Ingrid's sitting with the press, and the rest of our band is sitting two rows behind Alson and Rudy)
mgrasso> (is that right?)
Chet> (right)
* Gemma suddenly gets up, turns to face her spot on the pew, and kneels in front of it. She opens up her bag and dumps the entire contents onto the space she had been sitting on. There's some moderately noisy clattering as varous girl paraphenlia hits the bench. Some of it skitters off onto the floor.
* James whispers through clenched teeth to Gemma "this better be good"
* Gemma roots around on the floor, picking stuff up. She spends a lot of time arranging her stuff by size, then by color, then by no pattern anyone can decipher.
mgrasso> A couple of onlookers glare at Gemma as the noise stops the proceedings for a moment.
* Gemma whispers back, "Shut up, I'm busy."
mgrasso> Rudy finishes up, and then it's Alson's turn. He steps up to one of the podiums at the side of the dais, and addresses the board and the crowd in turn.
mgrasso> "We only ask, your honors, that you consider the needs of this community's law-abiding small business owners, who merely want to ensure the safety of their employees."
* Chet grits his teeth, "crap..."
mgrasso> Alson looks at Gemma again. "We don't ask for special treatment. We just want our needs to be respected."
mgrasso> Alson turns his gaze to Travis, and then to Ingrid. "I hope the board finds our simple requests reasonable, and can use the earlier compromise draft of the legislation to keep our business owners safe. Thank you."
mgrasso> Ingrid, Travis, Perception + Alerrness, diff. 5
Ingrid> !dice 5 5
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 10 8 10 10 2
Travis> !dice 3 5
* DiceWell Travis rolls 3d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 10 4 2
mgrasso> Alson steps back down, and there's 45 minutes of public statements.
* James stands up
* Travis begins taking extensive notes of what Alson said, as well as what the others said.
Travis> and are sayingl
Travis> saying.
mgrasso> The public, as we said, is extremely anti-ordinance.
* Chet stands and gets in line to address the board.
James> can I speak?
mgrasso> Chet gets up to the podium after about 10 minutes of waiting through business owners and their crushingly Banal reasoning.
* Chet winces slightly, steadies himeslf, and begins addressing the board.
* James crouches down next to Gemma and all her stuff
James> that's not where those whould go.
Gemma> Yes, it is. It has to be perfect before it can go back in.
Chet> There are several things I would ask the esteemed board to consider after they retire to make a decision.
James> no no, they should go in order of function, then hight, *then* color
Chet> While I respect what the members of the business community have had to say here, the facts have not been presented entirely accurately.
* Gemma takes some cotton balls out of their little plastic baggy and then puts them back in so that they're in a neat little circle
Gemma> No, stop it, you don't even understand the function of half these things.
* Ingrid listens intently, trying to remain objective on the surface.
* Gemma picks up a couple condoms. "Especially these."
Chet> The lighting ordinance currently in front of the board is one of the siffest in the entire country.
Chet> And while, I can understand that these businesses have their workers' safety in mind, you must be aware that there is currently no statistical data supporting the assumption that this lighting legislation would result in a reduction in crime.
James> Gemma- even still- it's... it's just not logical.
Ingrid> !dice 6 7
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 6d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 10 3 1 4 7 10
mgrasso> Alson just sits, smiling and nodding at Chet's speech.
Chet> I'm sure that if the data existed, you would've seen it presented. You should take its omission as proof that, currently, it does not exist.
Gemma> Yes, it is. It all makes sense. Look, this lip gloss is the kind with the little want. this one comes in a jar. But this one is also in a wand but it's called lip *glass* because it's shinier. See? So you can't put them all together even though they all gloss the lips.
James> yes yes you can.
Chet> I would ask the board to take one thing back with them as they consider this piece of legislation.
* Ingrid looks back and forth between Gemma and James, and Travis.
James> they're all the same function, practically the same height- but you don't put them in the same spot as the *eyeliner*
Gemma> Who said I was? That was just for now.
Chet> Try and remember. Remember back to when you were a child. Remember the wonder of the stars. Remember what it was like to lay in the open and see the stars, the constellations, making patterns in your mind.
James> besides, the colors should progress from light to dark- you have no sequential progression!
Gemma> The eyeliner obviously has to go near the mirror compact because I need to hold a mirror up close when I do my eyes.
Chet> Once this legislation is done, it cannot be undone.
Gemma> Oh that is so unfair, you jerk. They're in alphabetical order!
mgrasso> Gemma and James' "discussion" is starting to attract the attention of the bailiffs, and they're coming over to them.
* Gemma scoops everything up in her arms
mgrasso> Meanwhile, Travis is still furiously, feverishly taking notes.
Gemma> See, now I have to start all over again.
James> color is more important than alphabetical order- alphabetical order would come *after* color- then it would be by brand, not product
* Gemma dumps it back on the bench
James> oh DAMN IT!
Gemma> That doesn't make sense. You can't do alphabetical color order.
Chet> If you take away the stars now, they will never come back.
Gemma> I should arrange them by how good they look on me... but they *all* look good on me.
mgrasso> "Hey, you two! Out, now." One of the bailiffs has James by the upper arm.
Gemma> Hey, back off, you jerk! We're doing something important, here!
James> no, see- you would go "mauve, rose, pink" but if you had more than-
* Gemma stands and glares at the bailiff
* Chet nervously picks at the eraser bits in his pocket, discretely placing them on the podium and brushing them off in the direction of the board.
James> hey Asshole- watch your hands
Chet> Excuse me...
* Chet pops a stick of gum into his mouth.
Chet> Sorry, dry mouth.
* Gemma mutters and picks up a little pot of eyeshadow
* James shakes off the bailifs hand
* Ingrid is watching everything from her reporter's vantage point.
Chet> You simply must consider what you are about to do. We are going to go from the beauty and the splendor of today to almost *nothing* practically overnight.
mgrasso> James is now being actively grabbed by the bailiff. So is Gemma.
Chet> You simply can not take the stars away from the children of our fair city.
* Gemma squirms in the bailiff's hold
James> If you don't let go of me I will sue you so fast...
Gemma> Will you let go of me?
James> hey- let her go!
Gemma> You can't treat a woman of the cloth this way! GOD WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!
mgrasso> When Chet brushes the pencil eraser shavings at the board, Alson stands up suddenly.
Chet> !dice 9 5
* DiceWell Chet rolls 9d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 1 7 1 3 10 2 9 1 5
* Gemma tries to straighten a crooked lipstick while struggling away from the bailiff
mgrasso> The chamber is breaking out in chaos.
mgrasso> The board members are getting up, argiung with the bailiffs, Chet, or each other, as the situation warrants.
* Gemma bursts into tears
James> If you don't let her go things are foing to get ugly
mgrasso> Alson is taking this moment to slink out of the courtroom. Travis, Gemma, James, you feel relatively normal again.
* Gemma crying slows to an embarassed sniffle
James> did we notice alson leaving?
mgrasso> The bailiffs are letting Gemma and James go and attending to the one board member who is caling for "order, order!"
mgrasso> Yes, you did.
* Gemma wipes her nose on the bailiff's arm
Chet> !dice 7 5
* DiceWell Chet rolls 7d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 9 8 6 4 10 2 5
James> I'm running out after him-
* Chet returns to his seat - wiped out...
mgrasso> As the chaos ensues, Chet stays for a minute, pleading to the board.
mgrasso> James is leaving the room. Anyone else?
Gemma> Yeah!
mgrasso> Gemma soon follows. Travis? Ingrid?
Gemma> I'm sweeping everything into my bag and running after James
* Chet stumbles out after everyone else.
* Travis wanders out in a daze.
Ingrid> No, I'm staying to see what happens with the story.
mgrasso> Fair enough.
* Chet sits onthe floor in the hall and lights a cigarette.
mgrasso> Travis, Chet, Gemma, and James make their way out to the lobby.
Scene Four: Confrontation
mgrasso> Alson is standing near the exit doors. "So, what do you want from me now? I failed."
mgrasso> Ingrid, as you remain in the room, you realize that the board is taking their recess now.
Ingrid> Okay, I'll slip out then.
mgrasso> After all the chaos, they just want to recess and make their decision.
* Chet lays on his back, focuses on the ceiling, and takes a long drag.
mgrasso> In the lobby are many of the people who were in the chamber.
mgrasso> But Alson stands alone at the exit door.
mgrasso> He seems... cold and distant, almost as if he was fading away.
* James walks up so he's abreast of him
mgrasso> James is walking up to the sidhe.
* Chet looks over in his direction and mutters, "dick..."
* Chet refocuses on the ceiling.
mgrasso> Alson smiles at James' aggression.
mgrasso> "Come now, goblin. Come to me."
mgrasso> "You won't thwart me twice."
mgrasso> Initiative all? Wits + Alertness, diff. 4
James> oh yeah you furking bastard...
Gemma> !dice 6 4
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 6 successes.
* DiceWell 6 10 10 6 10 8
Chet> (oooh....only a total villain says "thwart" :) )
Ingrid> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 9 10 4 6 10
Travis> !dice 2 4
* DiceWell Travis rolls 2d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 4 2
Chet> !dice 3 4
* DiceWell Chet rolls 3d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 8 3 6
James> wanna make a bet?
James> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell James rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 2 7 4 8 5
mgrasso> Travis, you first. What are you doing?
mgrasso> Remember, they are tons of mortal witnesses here.
Travis> Watching what happens. Nothing more.
James> (ugh! vulgar with witnesses!!!)
mgrasso> Fair enough. Chet? You next.
mgrasso> (heh)
* Chet slides across the floor and stands with his back against the wall. "If you want to kill him, take him for a ride in your spaceship, James!"
mgrasso> Next, James.
James> not a bad Idea chet- I'm going to try to grapple him
mgrasso> Wow, out in the open like this?
mgrasso> Next, Ingrid, declare.
James> hells yeah
* Chet takes another drag and looks around the room...
James> (spending 3 blood to pump up my strength)
Chet> (HAR!)
Chet> Don't worry dude, we can scrape up bail for you in the morning. Get him!
Ingrid> No, let me go up to him and bluff him or something to get him away with us. Is that possible?
mgrasso> You can certainly try. Finally, Gemma?
mgrasso> Gemma?
Gemma> Helping James -- by tripping Ingrid, grappling Alson, whatever I have to do.
Ingrid> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 9 6 3 8 7
mgrasso> Gemma, you sort of stand in advance of James and Ingrid, approaching Alson.
mgrasso> Alson, meanwhile, reaches into the pocket of his suit and draws forth a shimmering chimerical egg. He flings it at Gemma's feet.
Gemma> (aaaaayugs!)
James> (is it locust?)
Gemma> (is it wearing a cape?)
mgrasso> The egg quickly hatches, and with incredible speed, the egg's mucousy cargo, a small spider, grows to its full size...about 4 feet wide and 2 feet tall. It begins spinning a web.
* Chet looks on, amused, while still scanning the room.
Gemma> (disbelieve!)
Travis> (tell the hireling to attack it)
* Gemma looks around to see if anyone notices this sudden giant spider
mgrasso> The web, wholly chimerical, creates a wall between you and Alson, and Alson simply walks outside into the warm desert air.
James> (that's four, four other game references... wah ha ha!)
mgrasso> Gemma: nobody here is enchanted.
James> Chet- your flame!
mgrasso> Gemma, do you still wish to approach Alson? You're going to have to get through the web somehow.
* Chet whistles for Bob and points to the web.
Gemma> Yes, I do. Can I just run through it?
mgrasso> You can try.
* Gemma grabs a handful of web and tries to tear at it
* Chet puts his lighter away and winks at a brunette across the room.
Gemma> (welcome to Stupid Character Deaths: Live! :D)
* Chet waves for her to come over.
mgrasso> The mortals in the room see Gemma tearing into thin air with her hands, and seemingly stuck in something adhesive.
mgrasso> Gemma is caught in the web.
mgrasso> Next is Ingrid.
* Chet points at her again and mouths, "yes you"...
* Gemma mutters to herself in English and Spanish as she struggles with the web
mgrasso> The web stretches across the room. the mortals just walk right through it, as if it weren't there. Which it really isn't.
mgrasso> But it's standing between you and the main exit.
mgrasso> Ingrid? You cannot get Alson to leave now.
Ingrid> No, I suppose not.
mgrasso> (We need to start wrapping up, actually, guys).
mgrasso> This much is true: Alson's expensive car is gone from the parking lot. He beat a hasty retreat.
James> did we see his car?
Gemma> Someone pull me off this thing! James!
Ingrid> We'll have to get Alson another day, it seems.
* James grabs Gemmas hips and start pulling her
James> did we?
* Chet walks to meet the brunette.
mgrasso> Through the web? Well, through the web and the window, you could see it was a convertible, colored silver.
mgrasso> That's about it.
* Travis grabs Gemma around the chest and starts tugging.
Gemma> I can hardly wait for my mother to see you doing this, James
mgrasso> As you file back in for the board's announcement, you find that the crowd is much calmer now. Even Rudy and the other businesspeople seem strangely subdued.
James> um... well, would you rather spend the whole night here?
Gemma> Maybe. Might be kind of fun if you're planning on staying behind me.
James> oh baby...
Gemma> (is she free yet, Mike?)
* Chet walks into the room with the brunette, talking to her all the way.
mgrasso> The board announces that the ordinance has passed 5-0. There's not a lot of booing, really. In fact, most of the business owners file out, seemingly unsure of their purpose at the meeting.
mgrasso> Gemma, Travis, and James' mime act bemuses most of them before the meeting. :)
* Gemma , free of the web now, turns around and kisses James
* Ingrid heads outside to do her news spot.
mgrasso> Ingrid, Danny is here with your sound and camera crew.
* Chet is engrossed in conversation.
* James wrinkles his brow, deep in thought
mgrasso> The board made a short statement, saying that "We should never forget the wonder of the stars, and the great advances in knowledge that come from our study of science."
mgrasso> Charisma + Journalism, (7 dice), diff. 5
* Ingrid quotes that phrase as the last line of her report.
Ingrid> !dice 7 5
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 7d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 3 10 1 8 3 3 10
* Chet points to the board, drawing the attention of the girl to what the barod is saying. He then points at himself, proudly.
mgrasso> (heh)
mgrasso> Hey all, thanks so much for an awesome conclusion!
mgrasso> (And thanks for helping me end on time!)