Chapter 6
General Summary
Part 1: Hasten Neuroses
Chapter Six: A Riot Carries Humility
Chapter 5 Recap:
Yesterday was long, and filled with travel. Our group of six awakened on Koinonia in Kandace Withakay's suite within Verina's temple. They traveled back to Boarwood Village via the Leo Vuttel Rail, and were immediately given a new mission from Denali upon their return. They paid Devlin to sail them to their next desitnation: Galena; a country on the mainland.
After winning a battle against Sahuagin and Sharks with Legs, they were able to revive their fallen friends, recover from a gruesome battle, and finally have a modestly comfortable sleep at sea.
Reqi, 20 Pereundei 253 E.W Rika Arabella's Birthday 6:22am
Everyone awakened to the sound of a bell being rung by Devlin. They came to their senses, remembering where they were, and slowly stood from their mats and hammocks below in the catamaran, as Devlin called out, "We're almost to port!"
"What time is it?" Rhizel mumbled as he stumbled onto the deck, his homunculous whirring behind him.
"Oh, how far into autumn are we, eleven years?" Devlin mumbled. They held a couple of fingers up to the horizon. "Probably about 6:30."
"Evil," Rhizel mumbled, and laid down on the deck.
Rika sighed, and looked out at the cliffs of Galena. Her trance had been more restless than usual. It was her birthday, and she was spending it kidnapped, and in something that was apparently not a cult. At least she was still going to be able to play her show.
Okay, I think I can manage a couple days out here; I have plenty to keep me busy in port. I can be away from my shop over the weekend, so just make sure you're back by sunset tomorrow and I won't like... charge you extra, I guess? I don't know how a taxi works, I guess just don't die or get arrested or something, or like... I'll charge you? I don't know.
Devlin anchored their catamaran at the floating docks at the base of the cliffside. Thad thanked Devlin again, and the six of them walked to the lift.
They made their way to the nearest train station, and boarded the ERA to Shelette.
They had to go through security to get on the train. Okay? They had to go through security. Don't listen to what my players tell you. Having weapons on a passenger train is just a bad idea. It has nothing to do with a terror attack. There aren't airplanes in Esmir. There aren't any identical skyscrapers, at least not any that I know of, and if there were, they haven't made the news lately, okay?? STOP IT. JUST STOP. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TRAIN 9/11 AND THERE NEVER WILL BE. I DON'T FUCKING CARE. DON'T BRING YOUR FUCKING SWORDS ON MY GODSDAMNED TRAIN. THIS ISN'T THE BOMB SQUAD. I DON'T THINK YOU'RE HERE TO MASS UNALIVE EVERYONE. I JUST DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET ANGRY AND DECIDE TO REACH FOR THEIR WARHAMMER, OKAY? THIS IS A PERFECTLY FUCKING REASONABLE REQUEST. LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE.
Komi and Spickle knew with a sinking feeling that they would have been back on this line three days ago if it wasn't for Elliott, but here they were, in something that was apparently not a cult. The good news was the Mallorie's diner car that was on this train. Imari headed that direction, and just in time, too, because a baby started screaming bloody murder.
The young parents traveling with their baby looked very apologetic, and the baby wouldn't be soothed by cooing, standing, an offering of food, or anything else their parents tried. Rika approached, and asked if she could play. She plucked out a soft tune on her half-lute, and lulled the baby to sleep. In the meantime, in the adjoining car, Rhizel found a cricket, and spent the majority of the train ride drawing and diagramming it on a napkin he found on the floor and a pen he borrowed from Thad.
Komi, Spickle, Rika, and Thad headed to the dining car. They couldn't find a table that fit all of them, so Thad and Rika sat at a two-top and Spickle and Komi joined Imari's table. Rika asked their server for a birthday meal, and when it was brought out to her, Thad congratulated her on a con well done. "It... is my birthday, actually," Rika said.
"Yeah," Thad laughed. "It's my birthday too!"
Rika's gashapon get on her birthday was the incredible Flaming Wheelies (not to be confused with Heelys).
In the passenger car where Rhizel found his cricket, there was a very old white man—old enough to qualify for political office—going down the aisle holding a pad and pen in his hand and asking every single passenger if he can tell them his riddles. Everyone was turning him down, and he finally sat in the empty seat next to Rhizel, and said, "I just got off the ferry in Capo. Have you ever been to Lilliver?"
"Yes."
"Well, I had nothing to do the whole ferry ride over besides write these riddles, but no one wanted to hear them."
Rhizel didn't say anything.
"I'm going to tell them to you, he said."
"Okay."
I go in your mouth, and it's most fun when you blow me. What am I?
See Answer
Bubble Gum
I hold buns all day. What am I?
See Answer
A Hairtie
What's long and hard when it's young, and small and soft when it's old?
See Answer
A Candle
"Excuse me," a lean distinguished dwarven woman approached Thad and Rika's table. "I'm just all out of sorts looking for my late husband's watch. I took it off to wash my hands in the bathroom, and when I went back, it wasn't there. I was sitting at this table earlier; have you seen it?"
Both of their thoughts screeched to a stop. This woman was a solid 9 on the GILF-O-Meter. Out of 8.
"I haven't," Thad said.
"Neither have I," Rika added. "I'm so sorry. We can keep our eye out!"
"Oh, and that goblin over there?" Thad pointed to Spickle Durf across the car. "That's our associate. Maybe you should ask him about it. He has quite the eye for such things." Somehow, Thad winked with his voice.
The dwarf blushed. "I... okay, I'll ask him!"
Spickle was so flustered they didn't know what to do with themself, but the eventually managed to tell her that they haven't seen the watch either. They did, however, say they would help her look. Komi immediately took the woman's statement down in her notes.
I ate here earlier. After that, I went to the bathroom and took it off to wash my hands. I realized just a second after I left, and I went back, and it was gone. I have to wonder if maybe I left it some other place, and didn't notice until I dried my hands and was missing the usual weight. I've been in the sleeper car, the passenger car, the dining car, and the bathroom. Nowhere else! I know I had it with me when I got on the train. It has to be here somewhere.
"Fear not... citizen," Spickle said.
"We're on it," Komi added.
Dining Car
Imari helped them do a final once over of the dining car. Thad asked other passengers to look around themselves. No one seemed to be lying about anything. There wasn't a sign of it anywhere, yet.
No watch.
Bathroom
Rika checked the bathroom off the dining car that the dwarven woman pointed out. She cheked the backs of the toilets, the top of a cabinet that stored hygiene products, and while she didn't find the watch, the acoustics in the room were quite lovely.
No watch.
I start with "P" and end with "O-R-N" and when people think of me, they think of watching a screen, but I can be consumed anywhere. What am I?
See Answer
Popcorn
You hold me by my shaft to use me. I penetrate with the tip, and come with a quiver. What am I?
See Answer
An Arrow
What's a long, smooth cylinder that's dry on the outside, wet on the inside, and has cum in it?
See Answer
A Cucumber
Passenger Car
Komi and Rika covertly checked every wrist in the car—as much as they could without making people roll up their sleeves—and Spickle checked under all the seats. Thad drew attention away from the goblin on the floor by playing a very loud round of dice with a random kid who was bored.
No watch.
Sleeper Car
Imari caught up with the rest of them and helped them check under all the bedsheets in the sleeper car. Thad went to check the adjoining room, but someone seemed busy in there. "It's okay," Komi said. "She said she was in this room, anyway."
No watch.
Oh, this one's easy! What starts with F and ends with UCK and when things get really hot and fiery, you want it so bad it's all you can think about?
See Answer
A Firetruck
What's six inches long, goes in your mouth, and works best if it's vibrating?
See Answer
An Electric Toothbrush
What goes on for protection, you take it off with your hands, and it's so much harder to feel anything when it's on?
See Answer
Gloves
"Well... that was my last joke. What did you think?"
Rhizel didn't say anything.
"Dagnabbit, you youngunns have no sense of humor!"
Rhizel—thoroughly traumatized—caught up with his friends in the sleeper car, and they brought him up to speed. "What about the car next to this one?" Rhizel asked.
Komi checked her notes. "That's first class."
"She wasn't ever in there," Spickle said.
"Could be worth checking anyway," Rhizel said. "Unless one of you wants to go in there," indicating the noisy room next to them.
First Class
Imari, Thad, and Komi snagged staff jackets. Rhizel cruised in without a care in the world. Rika and Spickle rightfully believed they were well dressed enough to look like they belonged here. No one questioned any of them.
Much like the passenger car they checked before, they didn't find much of anything here. While there was plenty an expensive watch on the wrists of the first class passengers, there wasn't anything fitting the dwarf woman's description of her late husband's watch.
No watch.
In a last ditch effort, they tried knocking on the door of the staff car to see if any of them knew of a watch that had been handed in, and if they could check the lost and found, assuming there was one. The staff tried to be helpful, but had nothing helpful for them.
Resigning themselves, they decided to do a last once over, and then tell the dwarf woman they couldn't find it. They were about to pull into their destination, anyway, and Rika had a show to get to.
They walked back through the first class car, and then through to the sleeper cars, and would have kept going, if they didn't see a little boy kicking at the door of the occupied sleeper car.
Dylan couldn't have been more than six years old. They had seen him few minutes before in the First Class car, sat at a table all by himself, playing with an AR virtual pet. He was well dressed with combed hair, and a perfectly coordinated outfit. Only now, with his arm extended, did they see that his outfit clashed horribly with the very gaudy watch on his wrist.
"Oh, hey honey... what do you got there?" Rika asked.
"Nuffin." he dropped his arm.
Thad grabbed Dylan's wrist. "Hey buddy," Thad said. "Where'd ya get this?"
"Found it."
"Yeahp. That's what I thought. How about this, I'll make a deal with you. Do ya like brownies?"
"WHAT?" Rika asked.
"Shut up," Thad said to Rika. He turned back to Dylan. "Do ya like cookies, kid?"
"That's not better," Rika said.
"No," Dylan said, trying to pull his wrist free. "I don't."
"Hey bud, listen. This isn't yours. If you give it back, I'll buy you a cookie from the dining car."
"No!"
Thad casted Friends. "How about now?"
"Yeah, okay."
"Nice." After a half second, "Hold up, I don't wanna kidnap you, is your mom around?"
He pointed to the sleeper car. "She's in there."
Thad nodded. "Nice. Okay, let's just go get a cookie."
"What's up, guys," Thad said, strolling into the Mallorie's car with a child that he didn't have before. "This is, uh, what's your name, kid?"
"Dylan."
"This is my friend Dylan. It's not his birthday. But it's his mom's birthday. She's, uhhh... indisposed at the moment. Can we get her like, a cookie or something?"
"She would have to come here and present an I.D."
"That's fair. I'll just pay for it."
After making the switch with Dylan, Thad held out the watch to Spickle Durf Bigteef, and said, "Now's your time to shine, man!"
Spickle looked at the watch in Thad's hand, leaned in, and said, "Nah. She's all yours."
"Uh... I really think—"
"I've had a lot of women in my day, and men, and you know, I've had my time. You, you're so young, you have so many experiences ahead of you, just go get her!"
"...Listen, man, if you're worried about being out of the game for a while, I don't think you have anything to worry about. She's definitely interested in you. NOT ME."
"I think you should go for it, just—"
"You just... go on and sling that goblin dick around—"
"Uhm—that was a little—"
"Too much?"
"Little bit."
"My bad. Well, that's not my thing, but it's clearly hers. We already did this whole thing. At the very least, maybe she'll just give you some money or something."
"Yeah, okay," Spickle Durf Bigteef took the watch.
Spickle presented the watch. "This young man," Spickle said to the dwarven woman, "did such a good job finding your watch." And then, they walked away.
"Y'know what, fine," Thad said under his breath, and then turned to the woman. "We found your watch." He handed it to her.
She thanked Thad, and then turned to thank the entire group. Regardless of their intentions, entire group blushed uncontrollably under her GILFy gaze.
7:12pm
After collecting their weapons from baggage claim, and finding directions to the venue, they had to book it to the concert. Their ETA was when Rika's set was to begin.
Rika hurriedly entered through the main entrance and said to the first person she recognized, "Hi, hi, I have new security detail, this is Thad, Rhizel, Spickle, Komi, and Imari, they're here to protect me."
"Uh... yeah, okay, okay—"
"I'm in a hurry, though, I need to get onstage now, if you could just set them up with admission—"
"Yeah, but like... when did you change your clothes?"
"What?"
"Nevermind, go go go go!"
Rika raced through corridors, following arrows pointing to the auditorium, trying to look as put together as she could, and then she heard something odd. She heard cheering—loud cheering—and the first few notes of a very familiar song. Familiar, because Rika wrote it. It was her opening song. Extremely confused, and anxious, Rika broke into a sprint.
She opened the first door she found leading to the auditorium in the same moment that the words to the song began. And her stomach dropped.
She was standing in the crowd, looking at herself onstage, singing her first song.
Go back to Chapter 5
Continue to Chapter 7
Silly Little Quotes
I wonder if Denali has a book on Train 9/11
Roll a history check on Train 9/11
(paraphrased)That's a dirty 20
Wow, it was a mandela effect, because Train 9/11 NEVER HAPPENED.
[I'm back,] What's happening, team?
Everyone's just shaking in their boots.
Man, I'm so little, in this big, big world.
And if I wake up, it's a guiding bolt to [his] BALLS
On the GILF-O-Meter, she's like a 9.
No, do NOT look up GILF-O-Meter!
I HAVE A STRONG STOMACH AND SAFE SEARCH IS OFF.
*various old man noises*
I don't want to kidnap you; where's your mom?
Details
Report Date
10 Jul 2024
Previous Sessions
Chapter 1Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Later Sessions
Chapter 7Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12