Scene Two
Scene Three
Chapter Three: Hollywood
Scene One: The Sherman Oaks Radisson
mgrasso> Hey guys!
mgrasso> Everyone's here!
mgrasso> Okay, first things first.
mgrasso> Here's the URL for the hotel.
Erica> Wait a minute.
mgrasso> And here are the way the rooms break down.
mgrasso> Sorry the URLs are so long... damn corp sites.
Bill> oh my god
Bill> May the lord have mercy on our souls
mgrasso> Heh.
Erica> I've been there.
mgrasso> Any concerns before we begin?
mgrasso> You have not, Erica.
mgrasso> Mandy, use the Spanish detector on Erica.
* Erica raises an eyebrow
Mandy> ha!
mgrasso> You stayed in that hotel???
Erica> Michael Josephine Grasso, I have stayed in more hotels in California than you've ever *been* to California period.
mgrasso> Wow, seriously?
mgrasso> (and don't call me Josephine)
Erica> Yes. Jeez. We live in Arizona. It's the only place we can escape to easily.
Bill> but its so cute
* mgrasso eyes Bill warily
Erica> I couldn't remember your real riddle name.
Erica> Um. Middle name.
Bill> smoochee smoochee
mgrasso> Erica, can you remember much about it?
mgrasso> Or, even more importantly, Ventura Boulevard? I'm looking desparately for pics.
Erica> All I remember is that we all hated it for some reason. There's nothing wrong with it that I can remember, but we all took off to Laguna literally within hours after check-in.
Erica> So, yeah. Go Liras. We're not much for planning.
mgrasso> Ah, I see.
mgrasso> Well, before we get into character, are there any OOC concerns for anyone right now?
mgrasso> By the way, everyone please msg me your current temp. Glam/Banal/WP totals?
mgrasso> Cool, is everyone set?
Erica> I like how this site put traffic jams in quotation marks. As if they don't really exist. "Traffic jams." [/random]
mgrasso> Heh.
*** Julia is now known as Ingrid
Erica> You know, LA's famous "traffic jams." ::wink:: ::nudge::
*** Joe is now known as Chet
*** Erica is now known as Gemma
mgrasso> (Hey, we just experienced them!)
*** Mandy is now known as James
Gemma> (They're really not as bad, IME, as people make them seem.)
*** Bill is now known as roger
*** roger is now known as Roger
Ingrid> No thanks to James Roadrage over there. :)
James> jeeze, who'd a thunk.
mgrasso> Well, shall we go to our rooms? What combo of rooms, suites, two-room suites, penthouses, and Malibu suites did we get?
Ingrid> (What's your vector, Victor?)
mgrasso> I figure it's Ingrid by herself, Chet by himself, and G and J sharing a room.
Gemma> (Poor lonely Ingrid. Ordering room service and Spanktravision.)
mgrasso> *snort*
mgrasso> So, let me tell you a little about where you are.
mgrasso> You're only minutes from Hollywood, Universal Studios theme park, a big-ass mall, and lots of other attractions.
mgrasso> What's the plan right now, guys? A little rest from the trip?
mgrasso> Then maybe a dinner meeting?
James> is it that late already?
Ingrid> Rest would be good.
Gemma> Getting kicked out of the sauna for not wearing a towel for me.
Gemma> I mean, rest.
mgrasso> It's about 10 am.
Gemma> 10am? Oh, hell. Let's go get that car!
mgrasso> No one's tired or worn out from the journey?
mgrasso> *coff*Banality*coff*
Ingrid> Maybe we should check out the Freehold here. It might ease some of the blow of all that banality.
Ingrid> Resting first might be good, though.
* Chet mutters something about "business to take care of" and wanders off towards his room.
Ingrid> It's actually a travelling Freehold. The last I heard it was at the old Pacific Pictures lot.
Gemma> Travelling?
Ingrid> Yes, it moves from place to place all over LA.
mgrasso> Chet wanders away, leaving Ingrid, James, and Gemma in the lobby.
Gemma> Little caravan? Chimerical covered wagons? Or is it more of a medieval sort of "tour the estates and mock the peasants" sort of thing?
Ingrid> I hear that See, they have so much Glamour in Los Angeles that Baroness Helena can afford to move from freehold to freehold, like a medieval traveling court.
Ingrid> (Dang paste! :)
Gemma> Oh, how lovely. So rather than freeing up some spots for others, she takes them all. How kind of her.
mgrasso> (/me laughs at politics... again)
Ingrid> A little judgemental there, Gemma. I don't recall you ever having met the Baroness.
Chet> !dice 5 5
* DiceWell Chet rolls 5d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 10 3 3 6 7
Gemma> Well, let's see... She's probably a waifish beanpole with pointy ears, no sense, and a tin hat. Yeah, okay. Let's go meet her and I'll give her a chance to show how she's different from all the other freaks in tin hats.
Gemma> Go on. Go make the arrangements.
* Gemma makes little "shooing" motions with her hands at Ingrid
Gemma> James and I need to have a talk.
Gemma> The loud and messy kind.
Ingrid> By all means, then. I shall see you later this afternoon.
James> my favorite kind
* Ingrid draws herself taller and walks away.
mgrasso> Okay, so that's the plan?
Gemma> (yup)
Gemma> (I think?)
mgrasso> Great. All right. Gemma, James, into GemmaJames
mgrasso> #GemmaJames
mgrasso> Ingrid, what are your plans for the afternoon?
Gemma> (Whoo! I get to be on top!)
Ingrid> Sleep, for sure.
James> (ha!)
mgrasso> Cool.
Ingrid> If there's time later, maybe shopping. :)
mgrasso> Okay, Ingrid, Perception + Resources, diff. 5
mgrasso> I want to see what you get shopping. :)
Ingrid> !dice 6 5
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 6d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 1 9 9 6 6 3
Gemma> (Tacky airbrushed t-shirt!)
Chet> !dice 3 7
* DiceWell Chet rolls 3d10 at difficulty 7. S/He botches the roll.
Ingrid> (hah! LaCroix, dahling!)
* DiceWell 6 2 1
Chet> !dice 3 7
* DiceWell Chet rolls 3d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 7 10 4
Chet> !dice 3 7
* DiceWell Chet rolls 3d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 2 8 5
mgrasso> Ingrid checks out the mall down the street which is very upscale (think Chestnut Hill to the nth degree, Bostonians).
Roger> (ooooo snooty snooty)
mgrasso> She picks up some stuff. At around 5 pm, she calls the rooms of the other three.
Gemma> (Ew! Snooty mall! Banality! Banality! :D)
mgrasso> (Make arrangements for dinner?)
mgrasso> (Not when she's dressing herself up like a Barbie, Erica! :D)
* mgrasso shakes barbies at Erica
Gemma> (Barbies are tres Banal, boy. ::being difficult::)
mgrasso> (All depends on the beholder, my dear)
mgrasso> (But I digress.)
Gemma> (yes.)
mgrasso> Are we going to head to the freehold before dinner? Or shall we talk a little beforehand about our day's activities?
mgrasso> Up to you guys.
Ingrid> Let's have dinner first. The hotel restaurant.
mgrasso> Sounds good.
James> fine
Chet> cool
mgrasso> The four of you reconvene at the hotel restaurant.
* James smiles excitedly as they all sit down
mgrasso> Dress? (femmmmmmmmy)
*** Retrieving #Changeling-Tucson info...
mgrasso> (Bill, you'd better be ready to tell us how your character's dressed. Embrace the femmy RPG :D)
Gemma> (Right down to what character underoos)
Roger> (femmy?)
mgrasso> (Hah!)
* James is wearing the same thing he was wearing that morning, jeans and an old spawn tshirt
mgrasso> (Spawn, that's awesome.)
* Chet hasn't changed since the morning. He's wearing jean shorts and a yellow t-shirt with "Bob's Bowl-A-Rama" and some bowling pins on the chest. He's got black socks bunched around his ankles and a pair of yellow Chuck Taylor high-tops on.
mgrasso> (I envy James' t-shirt collection.)
James> :)
mgrasso> (Did I lose Erica and Julia?) -> [Ingrid] PING -> [Gemma] PING
Gemma> (no ... she's naked)
* Ingrid shows up in a chiffon-y, summery blue dress she bought earlier that day. Silver sandals are wrapped around her dainty feet, the sandals she bought after her pedicure this afternoon. Her hair is pulled back in a loose knot at the base of her neck.
James> (yeeh haw)
mgrasso> (Miss Maria?)
* Gemma is wearing a blue embroidered Indian silk skirt and a white, sleeveless wrap-around blouse that ties shut at the side. And clunky light brown Doc Marten sandals. (whee!)
mgrasso> (all righty! So James was sitting down all excited)
mgrasso> (/me sits back)
James> I- I can't really believe that we're here, that it's so close, that it's a city busride away
* James looks giddy as a school boy
Chet> A busride?
James> you know, a "busride" as in a measure of distance
James> or method of public transportation
James> a figure of speach
James> I can almost taste that car!
* Gemma stretches her neck and shoulders, yawning a bit.
Chet> Yes. I know. I was hoping to not have to ride the buses again tomorrow.
Roger> (speach?)
James> (bite me)
Gemma> What did I tell you about licking cars, dear?
Chet> To do it?
James> that it would give me cancer
Gemma> Yes. And that there are ... what now?
Ingrid> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 4 2 1 4 8
James> what?
Chet> So did you find out anything about this dude with the car?
James> anyway, I was thinking if we maybe pretended to have a car to fix up so that we can see his shop and-
mgrasso> (I have to rule that James didn't get anything done this afternoon :D)
James> nothing new.
Ingrid> You want to buy a car?
Gemma> I would slap my forehead if I thought it'd do you any good, Ingrid.
Gemma> Do you even remember why we're here or how you got here?
James> anyway
Ingrid> Never mind. Chet must be rubbing off on me.
James> then we could looka round and see the setup and have an excuse to ask a lot of questions.
Chet> What? I never...oh, rubbing *off* on you...
Gemma> Why not just tell the truth?
* James looks a Gemma *very* sideways
Chet> Well, if we had brought your car, James, it would've been more believable that we were having automotive difficulties...
Ingrid> You're asking that question, Gemma?
* Ingrid laughs
* Gemma smiles crookedly
Chet> Otherwise, I don't see how we can pretend that we need to get our rental van services...
Chet> Why don't we just go talk to the guy. Maybe he's willing to sell it for the right price.
Ingrid> That sounds like a nice, casual plan.
Chet> Not everything has to be Mission Impossible.
mgrasso> (Cool.)
Gemma> Coming from Chet it's sane. But when *I* sayit...
James> it's more fun when it's mission impossible.
James> can we atleast sneak in to talk to him under the cover of darkness?
Chet> Yes. But it's much safer when it's not...
mgrasso> (*laughs*)
Gemma> Look, I didn't pack any sneak-around clothes, so let's listen to the old man, okay?
Roger> (this is not a party for stealth, oh wait nevermind)
James> (ha!)
Gemma> We'll go in. We'll say, "howdy." I'll drop my blouse. James takes the car. See?
James> sounds like a plan. Can we go now?
Ingrid> That sounds so sane, Gemma.
Chet> We're in CAlifornia, remember...what makes you think that would work?
mgrasso> (Now, what about checking out and trying to find the freehold? How banal do you all feel? I'll wait till you get to that point in the convo... god, I'm so afraid of being too pushy, because I wasn't pushy enough last week... *sigh*)
Gemma> (Didn't the loud and messy talk get us any glamour? :D)
mgrasso> (Uh, no. :D)
Gemma> (I object! I think it should. Satyrs do it. :D)
mgrasso> Besides, business hours are done right now so we'd have to go tomorrow (Friday) morning to the car place.
Gemma> (But anyway...)
Ingrid> I could use a visit to the freehold, myself.
Gemma> Did you find out anything else about it?
Chet> You said it was like some kind of carnival, is that right?
Gemma> Like whether or not they'd let the visiting great unwashed visit?
mgrasso> (well, they have to offer a place for fae to stay... Escheat and all)
Chet> Will there be jugglers and stuff?
Ingrid> No, it's a travelling freehold. It's glamour-fed, like a Medieval traveling court.
Ingrid> No jugglers.
* Ingrid smiles.
Gemma> Well, can we travel *to* it?
James> oh just shut up everybody- Ingrid, do you know where it is?
Ingrid> Well, I know the last place it was. It may still be there.
Chet> What do they have in travelling courts if they don't have jugglers? Don't they have those guys with the jangly hats?
Ingrid> The old Pacific Pictures studio lot.
mgrasso> (that's in, fittingly enough, Studio City)
James> let's go.
mgrasso> Excellent!
Chet> Who's driving?
Gemma> Me! I'll do it!
Gemma> The steering wheel's in the back, right?
Chet> OK. Not Gemma. Ingrid?
Ingrid> I think James may want to drive.
James> yes
Ingrid> I'd like to look around, anyway.
Chet> Look around what?
Ingrid> At the city!
Gemma> Look around your giant head...
Chet> Hope you enjoy the sites whizzing past you at 200 miles an hour.
Ingrid> I will, thank you.
Ingrid> Let's just go.
Scene Two: Pacific Pictures
mgrasso> All right. Taking the minivan down Ventura Boulevard, you drive past car washes, donut shops, video stores, and weirder denizens of L.A.: New Age colonic centers, crystal shoppes (with that spelling), and suspicious "movie studios" on the third floors of office buildings.
Chet> OK. I call the back seat.
Gemma> (Wait. Can we stop at the colonic center?)
Roger> (what about an Oxygen Bar)
mgrasso> Eventually, you make it to the old part of Studio City. This is where all the dead movie studios once churned out the celluloid classics of the earlier century. Now, of course, most studios are owned by media conglomerates and foreign investors, but back in the 30s and 40s, charismatic men from New York came to California to make their fortune in pictures.
mgrasso> One of these studios, granted, a minor one, was Pacific Pictures.
mgrasso> The remains of this studio, oddly, still stand in Studio City. It doesn't look like anyone's been inside for a long time. It's the classic studio lot: iron gates with the initials "P P" on each gate dominate the front. Behind the gates and stone walls, you can see the huge lot with large warehouse-like studios inside.
James> is this it?
mgrasso> There's definitely some Glamour on the walls of this studio. Half-built castle walls extend higher than their real world counterparts. You can also see a chimerical mist rising inside the studio lot.
James> (guess so)
mgrasso> But in the twilight smog of L.A.'s early evening, you can see no distinct shapes or people inside the lot behind the gates. Banal tourists walk by the studio, sometimes looking at the gates' monograms and wondering for a moment, but they don't take pictures... they move on to the more vital and less forgotten studios.
* James enters the lot and parks the car where ever seems the most obvious place
mgrasso> Um, you have to park on the street. The gates are closed.
mgrasso> (Sorry.)
* Ingrid looks it over through the van window.
James> (my bad)
mgrasso> (mine)
Chet> So are we getting out or what?
mgrasso> You guys can easily park across the street.
James> Sure, yeah, let's go check it out
Ingrid> Oh yes. I want a closer look.
Chet> OK. I'm with you, then...
Gemma> Yes. Let's all stand as close as we can to the Pee Pee gates.
Gemma> And when they open, it'll be like we're at Sea World. It'll be so cool.
Chet> Except it'll smell better than Sea World...
mgrasso> The four of you walk towards the gates. Standing there, you can see more clearly the mists inside the lot.
mgrasso> It's obvious that they are chimerical.
Gemma> (The gates?)
James> are the gates locked?
mgrasso> (no, the mists, sorry)
Chet> It looks like someone's toking up in there...It's like a Cheech and Chong movie...
mgrasso> The gates have a heavy padlock on them, and a chain. You can see a sign on some of the buildings inside "CONDEMNED ORDER OF L.A. COUNTY"
Chet> Someone want to knock?
James> Any visible way in/ around? (dents, rusted bars etc?
James> )
Gemma> (or chimerical door-bell-type thingies?)
mgrasso> Perception + Security, James, diff. 6
mgrasso> Gemma: Per + Kenning, diff. 7
Gemma> !dice 6 7
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 7 1 3 3 5 7
James> !dice 2 6
* DiceWell James rolls 2d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 6 7
mgrasso> Gemma sees nothing chimerical to indicate a way inside.
mgrasso> James sees that the only way in from this side would be to scale the wall.
mgrasso> There comes a point where there are no tourists or other mortals on the street.
Ingrid> Let's walk around the perimeter.
James> can we go in? i want my MI fix.
James> Fuck that.
mgrasso> At this point, the padlock spontaneously unlocks.
mgrasso> The chains loosen, and the real-life gates open, providing you access.
Ingrid> Neat trick!
* Gemma eyes the gates suspiciously
* James walks in.
mgrasso> They're only open a crack, but... oh, there goes James inside. :)
* Ingrid follows right behind.
* Chet walks in as well.
* Gemma waits to see if anything attacks them before walking in
* James heads directly toward the mists
Chet> Come on, Gemma...
mgrasso> As I said, the lot has quite a few studio warehouses, and... oh, there goes James into themists. :)
Roger> (are there gorillas in the mists?)
mgrasso> Following?
Ingrid> Yes, right behind James still.
* Chet waits for Gemma to catch up.
* Gemma reluctantly catches up to Chet
Chet> Come on. Let's go.
Gemma> Okay, okay.
* Chet and Gemma follow into the mists.
mgrasso> All right. The four of you enter the misty area of the studio. It's funny, but the mists seem to leech the light out of the surroundings; you soon seem to lose the fading orange twilight of L.A. In fact, all of the color from all of your clothing and skin seems to disappear.
mgrasso> In fact, that's not the only thing that changes.
mgrasso> James is the first in, so he notices it first. His voile has changed. No longer a foppish ensemble, he's wearing a severely rumpled suit and tie, wrinkled and baggy. I need anyone with Style to give me a Wits +Style roll, diff. 6
Gemma> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 4 2 4 5 5 2
Ingrid> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Ingrid rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 2 1 7 9 10
mgrasso> On James' head is a fedora style hat.
mgrasso> All of you, in fact, are now in black and white. Not only that, you all seem to be wearing clothes, hairstyles, everything of the 1940s.
mgrasso> (You guys want to describe the 1940s versions of yourselves?)
mgrasso> :)
mgrasso> (This one's for you, Erica. :) )
Ingrid> (It was your idea... :)
mgrasso> (Yeah, but I figured you guys have seen enough film noir to be imaginative. :) )
Gemma> (Me?)
mgrasso> (Yeah, I know how you love those woman's pompadours. ;-) )
Gemma> (Or I Accuse My Parents enough times..)
mgrasso> (If you guys want me to do it, that's fine. I just thought it might be cool to see what you all come up with.)
Gemma> (I'll give it a shot. Give me a sec. I have to think in black adn white.)
Ingrid> All right. Ingrid has on one of those suits that has big shoulders, a skirt ending right at the knee, and a teeny little waist. Her hair is gathered up into a broad-brimmed hat and she's about four inches taller in the pumps she now has on.
mgrasso> (You can take all the time you want!)
mgrasso> (I know I kinda took control of James, Mandy, but if you have other ideas... feel free to share them)
* Chet is wearing a neatly pressed, dark gray, pinstipe suit with a crisp white shirt. He's got a skinny black tie around his neck that's slightly loosened and the top button of the shirt is undone. On his head is a white fedora-style hat with a black band.
mgrasso> (the age of hats (tm) )
* Chet is also wearing shiny, polished black shoes.
* James tips his hat, rolls it down his arm, spins it a few times and then flips it up into the air and catches it on his head
James> I love hats
Ingrid> Snazzy, James.
mgrasso> By the way, the mists have cleared and you're standing on a city street, definitely 1940s-style. Sodium lights shed insufficient light to hide the shadows in this noir world.
James> this kicks total fucking ass guys.
Ingrid> Where's our Packard?
* Ingrid grins.
mgrasso> (swearing doesn't fit the 40s movie paradigm, but I'll allow it :D)
mgrasso> Gemma is still making her way through the mists... ;-)
Chet> What? I've watched enough noir to know that you're going to wind up either dead or deeply cynical...oh, wait - never mind.
* Gemma is wearing a casual, figure-hugging dress, gathered at one side of the waist in a diamond-shaped panel. Its color has been translated into a medium gray trimmed with black. She wears stockings with a seam and black high heels. Her hair is neatly set in curls. Her lips are dark gray in that way only true red lipstick can be in black and white.
Gemma> (sorry that took so long; phone)
mgrasso> (oh, worth the wait, certainly.)
* Roger walks toward you. He looks about 6'4", Tall and thin, his face is dark and gaunt, with narrow eyes. Drawn cheeks and rough weathered skin. His grey and white hair is long on the back and sides, and tied in a pony tail. He is wearing a Roy Rogers style shirt with the tassles on the sleeves, and a long trnchcoat. He wears dark jeans with chaps, and well worn brown boots. He has a large Bowie knife strpped to his right thigh. He also has a black cowboy hat. He st
Gemma> (some of that got cut off on my end... I don't know about you guys)
mgrasso> (Same here, Bill)
Roger> (where)
Ingrid> (right after the cowboy hat.)
mgrasso> ("He st...."
* Roger stands there looking at the four of you, rolling a cigarette.
mgrasso> (ah, cool)
mgrasso> (quiet)
* Roger lights his cigarette and takes a drag
* Gemma puts her hands on her hips and looks the man up and down
Roger> Hello
* Chet mumbles, "good idea" and shakes a cigarette out from his own pack and lights it up.
James> is this the freehold?
* Chet give the guy nod.
Roger> Not today it's not
Ingrid> Oh, too bad.
* Ingrid pouts a little.
Chet> Well where are we?
Roger> What brings you to these parts
Chet> Some bad information, apparently.
Ingrid> At least we weren't toally off. "Not today" implies that it was at some other time.
James> fucking shit- "traveling"
* James sneers slightly
Chet> And that it might be again...
* Gemma gently squeezes James' elbow
Ingrid> I was hoping to pay my respects to Lady Helena.
Chet> Still, right place, wrong time it seems.
Roger> Probably, but when, well, thats not upto me
Gemma> !dice 6 8
* DiceWell Gemma rolls 6d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 6 8 4 6 6 4
James> So why are *you* here buddy?
Roger> If you wish to present yourself to the Baronessa I can show you where she is.
mgrasso> (Bill, your Rinascita is showing. :) )
Ingrid> Is she here?
Roger> No
Roger> her court has taken up another residence
Gemma> Is it far?
Roger> What brings you here?
Gemma> The food, mostly. We heard you had an excellent swordfish.
Ingrid> How about some introductions first? I'm Ingrid Kane, lately of Tucson.
mgrasso> (Should we do fae miens?)
mgrasso> (This is after all, sometimes a freehold)
*** James is now known as Aranth
*** Chet is now known as Kirby
*** Ingrid is now known as Artemisia
*** Gemma is now known as Solangia
*** Roger is now known as Jermanas
Jermanas> I am
Jermanas> (oops)
Jermanas> I am Jermanas Knight-Errant of the Baroness Helena's Court
* Kirby looks around.
Artemisia> I am also known as Artemisia.
Kirby> Hey, bud, I'm Kirby. Nice to meetcha.
* Artemisia curtseys slightly.
* Jermanas reaches out to ahke kirby's hand
Jermanas> a pleasure
Aranth> well la dee dah...
Jermanas> (take)
Solangia> Jermana, this is Arby and I'm Wendy.
* Kirby shakes Jermanas' hand.
* Solangia gestures towards Aranth
* Aranth shruggs "or Aranth and Solangia, whatever"
Solangia> I will never be able to live out my fast food fantasies with you, Aranth.
* Solangia sighs
Aranth> arby?
Solangia> Yes, I'm Solangia. Yes, I'm a skunk. No, I won't spray you.
Aranth> food?
Solangia> Unless you tip well.
Solangia> What?
Solangia> They charge. You can eat it. It's food.
Aranth> riight
Solangia> So, about this Baron Helene chick, where is she? Is she kind?
* Aranth looks at Jermanas "what are you erranting in this place where the freehold isn't right now?"
* Jermanas looks around at the old warehouses
Jermanas> there's alot of history
Jermanas> This place was around at the birth of the Silver Screen.
Jermanas> It still holds alot of majesty
Jermanas> The baroness simply wishes it to remain protected
Aranth> so you stand here all day? sounds fun.
Jermanas> It's a living
Artemisia> I can see why. It's very reminiscent.
Aranth> SO where is the freehold since it's not here?
Kirby> So are we going to meet the lady or what?
Jermanas> Hollywood
Jermanas> If you wish I can bring you there.
Artemisia> That would be very kind of you.
Kirby> Sweet. Let's roll.
Kirby> I feel like I should be talking different in this place. It gives me the creeps.
mgrasso> All right, so we're heading out back onto the street. Roger, why don't you describe your mortal seeming for everyone?
Artemisia> I like it! I love noir.
mgrasso> (everyone's back to normal... HOWEVER, you now have an EXTRA set of voile... 40s style!
Aranth> ooh la la!
mgrasso> (so you can save the outfits, rework them, use the material for something else, etc)
* Jermanas is 5'11" with a lean frame, about 160 lbs. He has black hair streaked with grey, and a well tanned face that has begun to show more years than he has, he looks to be about 50.
mgrasso> (the freehold just created them on you)
Solangia> (whoo!)
Artemisia> (cool!)
mgrasso> (why do you think I wanted *you* guys to describe them? :))
* Jermanas eyes are brown and narrow, and he has a slightly pointed nose. He wears black boots, blue jeans, a grey button down shirt and a black cowboy hat with a braided, brown leather strap.
mgrasso> Back to mortal seemings, all.
*** Artemisia is now known as Ingrid
*** Kirby is now known as Chet
*** Aranth is now known as James
*** Jermanas is now known as roger
*** Solangia is now known as Gemma
mgrasso> Capitalize yourself, son.
mgrasso> :)
*** roger is now known as Roger
mgrasso> That's better. :)
mgrasso> So, shall we all pile in the van? Roger, do you think your car is around here somewhere?
Roger> yes it is
mgrasso> I'll point to the URL so people can see it. :)
James> (brb!!!)
Roger> It's around the back of the lot
mgrasso> I have an idea. Let Roger get his car and you guys can follow him to the real freehold. Sound good?
Gemma> (sounds goot to me)
Gemma> (goot? I'm German.)
Roger> (I'm going to post my fae mien in the non 40's style)
* Roger is Tall and thin, his face is dark and gaunt. Drawn cheeks and rough weathered skin. His grey and white hair is long on the back and sides, and tied in a pony tail. You see that the top of his head is bald.
mgrasso> http://www.homegame.org/mgrasso/diversion/71mustang2.jpg
* Roger black hat remains in his fae mien, however it is dusty and trail worn, and it rests behind his head and is secured by a black cord around his neck. He is covered by a large mexican style poncho, with wide faded stripes of red and blue. He wears dark jeans, and well worn brown boots. He has a large Bowie knife strpped to his right thigh.
mgrasso> Roger goes to the back lot, and about a minute later, comes roaring around the corner in that vehicle.
mgrasso> (By the way, I'm going to get us to the freehold tonight and then end it, okay?)
Roger> ok
Chet> (OK with me)
Ingrid> (sure)
Scene Three: Memories of Hollywood
mgrasso> All right. Roger honks his horn and the four of you get into the van and follow him south through the streets of Hollywood proper.
* Chet stares out the window.
mgrasso> Here, you can see many more modern studio lots and also quite a few two- and three-story office buildings. Most are in an art deco style. Including the one you all park out infront of.
mgrasso> The first floor has a storefront with an awning and a large front window. Inside the window, you can see a dim light bulb on, which illuminates a crowded room filled with what look to be costumes and masks.
mgrasso> The window has stencilled into it: "Blum's Movie Makeup Shop and Museum." A generic store sign hung on the door says "CLOSED."
mgrasso> All of you can feel the Glamour, almost radiating out of this building.
Ingrid> I like the way you LA people operate.
* Ingrid smiles.
James> (back)
mgrasso> Outside, all five of you walk towards the front door.
Ingrid> Glamour, glamour, everywhere!
mgrasso> Inside, you can see a very very old man, with the fae mien of a nocker, move away from the latex mask of a gorilla and make his way to the door when he sees Roger peering inside.
mgrasso> In his other hand he still grasps a wide-bristled brush covered in rubber cement.
mgrasso> "He opens the door, and an offensive smell hits all of your noses... mildew, rubber, plastic, like ten thousand thrift stores.
mgrasso> "Ah, Roger, nice to see you tonight," the old nocker says. "Who're these folks?"
mgrasso> His voice is wheezy and accented strongly with some sort of Germanic tinge.
Roger> They are from Tuscon, they wish to present themselves before the court
mgrasso> "Ah, sure, I understand." He opens the door wider for all of you to enter. He peers with a squinty eye at James as the five of you enter.
mgrasso> "Gutenabend, sohn," the old nocker says to James.
Chet> Bless you.
mgrasso> When you enter, you can see much better the truly colossal selection of costumes, masks, and makeup which the store sells. Framed pictures on the walls show old man Blum with many Hollywood luminaries: John Wayne, Orson Welles... and some not so luminary: Roger Corman, Bert I. Gordon, and Ed Wood.
Ingrid> (woohoo! :D)
* Roger steps aside and motions to the stairs in the back.
mgrasso> "They're downstairs, Roger. You'll need to take the nightlight."
Roger> Rught this way.
Roger> Ok
mgrasso> Blum hands Roger a flaming chimerical torch.
James> !dice 6 8
* DiceWell James rolls 6d10 at difficulty 8. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 5 7 1 2 8 4
Roger> Thank you. Follow me please?
* Chet follows.
mgrasso> The rickety stairwell leads down into darkness. Hanging on both sides of the stairwell are more masks and more pictures, but these are of on-set makeup jobs. You see a man in a furry ape costume putting on a space helmet for some strange reason, and a photo of a snakey sea serpent threatening some scantily-clad B&W Viking women.
* Ingrid is close behind.
Ingrid> (hah! good one. :)
mgrasso> Hanging from the ceiling of the stairwell are various flying saucer models, "giant" bug models and other scary bits.
* James nods to the older nocker before heading down too.
mgrasso> Out of the darkness below, you can see glowing sets of eyes. The torchlight's limit can only illuminate their outlines, but they look to be hunched figures with shaggy white hair.
* Ingrid eyes them carefully. "Don't tell me... Morlocks?"
* Roger waves the torch threateningly in front of him.
Roger> Oh no you don't
Roger> not this time, I'm ready for you
Chet> !dice 5 7
* DiceWell Chet rolls 5d10 at difficulty 7. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 1 1 3 3 1
Roger> (oo, that one hurt)
mgrasso> Roger's torch scares off the Morlocks (good one, J :) and eventually, you make it to the basement of the museum.
mgrasso> Here are the true treasures. Apart from the 10 or 12 fae who are down here talking and drinking and having a great time, you see full costumes from an assortment of science fiction and horror movies.
* Chet blinks and rubs his eyes.
Ingrid> Wow. Danny would love this place.
mgrasso> The giant pickle from It Conquered the Earth, the spaceman costumes from Plan 9 From Outer Space, the giant hypodermic needle from the Amazing Colossal Man... so many that you cannot count them.
mgrasso> The fae are an assortment of commoner kiths, but they all seem to revolve around an older sidhe who sits in the middle of the room on an old Chesterfield sofa.
James> does this place sell fanboy Tees?
Gemma> No. No more t-shirts. You need proper clothes.
mgrasso> She looks, in her fae mien, to be about 40 or so. She has the look of a mature Elizabeth Taylor from Butterfield 8: scarf on head, harlequin sunglasses, and a beaming smile.
mgrasso> She stops talking to her "subjects" when she sees Roger. "Sir Jermanas? You bring visitors?"
Roger> Yes my lady
* Roger bows.
* Ingrid curtseys as she meets the Baroness's eye.
mgrasso> Baroness Helena exudes old-time Hollywood Glamour.
Roger> They are visitors from Tuscon
* Chet gives a half bow.
Ingrid> It is our privilege to meet you, Lady.
Roger> May I present Lady Artemisia
mgrasso> "Ah, the Duchy of the Firebird? I believe... yes, Rachael's little sister Sharon is Countess there, no?"
mgrasso> "Lady," Helena says, beckoning Ingrid to rise.
* Ingrid rises and faces Lady Helena.
mgrasso> Helena looks to the rest of the group.
Roger> Sir Kirby
mgrasso> "Your companions? All from the County of Old Pueblo?"
* Roger motioning to chet
* Chet bows again.
mgrasso> Please, please, let's dispense with the formalities.
mgrasso> You aren't my subjects!
Roger> Lady Solangia
Roger> and Sir Aranth
James> Lady?!
James> Sir?
* Gemma looks a bit shocked
mgrasso> Helena beckons Chet to rise.
James> Hells fucking no.
Ingrid> I'm afraid James takes "dispensing with the formalities" a bit literally, Lady.
mgrasso> Helena laughs. "Well, you must understand, Jermanas is used to introducing members of the aristocracy. I'm sure he means well."
mgrasso> "It's all right, Lady," Helena says. "Please, all of you, have a seat.
* Roger bows and steps back.
mgrasso> A couple of fae bring over director's chairs for the five of you.
mgrasso> You sit on an equal level with Helena.
Gemma> Can I sit with you?
* Chet grabs a chair and sits.
Ingrid> Please, just call me Artemisia.
mgrasso> "Please do!"
mgrasso> "Now, what brings you to the Barony of Holly?"
James> a car.
mgrasso> "A car."
mgrasso> "What kind of car?"
Gemma> A magic lowrider.
James> stop calling it that!
mgrasso> Helena glances at Gemma, then at James.
James> it was my grandfathers car, very valuable to me.
mgrasso> "Your grandfather... also a nocker, then?"
mgrasso> "I mean, one never knows, of course. That's why I ask."
James> a Knocker to end the lot of them
James> furking amazing, a genius.
mgrasso> "Well, I can say this much... Roger, Jermanas, whatever you may call him, is quite an expert on the streets of this city. He also is quite a tracker. Perhaps Roger, you wouldn't mind aiding these visitors during their stay?"
* Roger clears his throat.
Roger> Um, My lady?
mgrasso> "Yes?"
Roger> I have many other duties to attend to.
James> yeah, he has to wait in that spot.
mgrasso> Helena sighs. "*Sir* Jermanas, I do so hope I don't have to ask you *twice.*"
Roger> I ... Yes My lady, of course.
mgrasso> "Wonderful. Wonderful!" Helena says, "Now, I imagine I should open up the cot room to the four of you, and offer you a place to stay tonight."
mgrasso> "It's not much, but I'd be more than thrilled to have you take advantage of the Glamour we have here."
Chet> That would be wonderful.
Ingrid> Excuse me, my Lady, but... are there any of these monsters in the cot room?
Gemma> There's a problem, my lady. Ingrid is very picky and would never settle for a mere cot.
James> that would be great, although we're spending so much on the damn hotel I hate to eat it- highway robbery.
mgrasso> Ingrid: "Monsters? Well, there can be monsters, yes."
Ingrid> Pay the kitty no mind, my Lady. We would all be most grateful to sleep here, whatever the arrangements.
mgrasso> Gemma: "Oh. Well. I'm sure you don't speak for the Lady, do you?"
Gemma> Madam, I only speak from my experience with the woman.
mgrasso> James: "Where are you staying? I can make arrangements to purchase the rooms for tonight."
mgrasso> Ingrid: "Oh, wonderful! I will show you to the room, then."
mgrasso> Okay, I think it's time to wrap up.
mgrasso> Now, here's the deal. You all get 5 Glamour tonight.
Chet> Woohoo!
mgrasso> Please msg me with how you'd like to disperse it.
Ingrid> Wow, cool. :)
James> rock on!
mgrasso> For instance, into your Glamour pool or to rid yourself of Banality, or both.