Players:
Summary: Summary of what happened.
Date: November 6, 2010.
Log Title: Heather and David bring each other up to speed.
Rating: G.
Tegu-Haaz - Salem Town Square
The very epicenter of Salem Town Square is wooden structure called, The Gallows. A noose swings in the breeze casting shadows along the wooded structure and town center. Gas lamps line the streets in between the buildings that serve as shops and homes. There is a well off to the side, which serves as the town's main source of water. Four streets meet in the center of Salem Town Square, one road leads to The Moors, another up a dark hill, the third to the lake and the last onto farms that have long been over grown. During the day the town seems fairly quiet, shop signs blowing in the breeze, the smell of the water sweeping across the moors and the deserted buildings dark and desolate. At night the lamps come to life and flicker giving shadows a sense of life. Occasionally voices and lights can be heard coming from one of the buildings but once inspected it's always vacant.
Heather's feet tap quickly against the ground as she walks through town square. After the conflict with Troy/Leo the previous day, she's been putting a great deal of thought into how to defeat the monsters in this place. She's wearing her peasant robes, her more usual pyjamas still drying in front of the fire in the Slaughtered Lamb. She wanders in an aimless way, back and forth, seemingly lost in thought.
Standing at the entrance of the Slaughtered Lamb, David stands wearing yellow cybershades, black pants and white shirt of the period and a cape. He seems lost in thought as he stares at a shiny iron key. He catches sight of the aimless Heather zipping this way and that. He stares out a moment and pockets the key and steps towards Heather.
Heather stops as soon as David presents some movement, and looks towards him for a few moments. The girl gestures, <Hello, nemesis. Any new information to give me?> She reaches her hands up to grab for his cybershades, stopping only if he makes any attempts to keep her from removing them.
Raising his hand to stop her and shaking his hand 'no', David gestures, <I removed the power source for now. There is not much time left on them.> He then gestures, <Chloe, Kenta, and I fought a giant octopus which yielded this.> He reaches into his pocket and reveals a shiny iron key. <This is weird because it was int he murky waters for how long. It should not be shiny and appear as new. We still haven't found what it opens.> He places it back into his pocket.
<I'll let you know if I found something. And as a part of my usual costume, I wear goggles to keep debris out of my eyes at high speed, not to have access to fancy electronics,> says Heather, withdrawing her grasp. She tilts her head slightly and says, <It is strange that an octopus would have a key. Perhaps it is a symbol, since this world seems highly metaphorical.>
<True. The sucker was hard to defeat, Kenta was finally able to blast the thing.> David signs and ponders the symbolic metaphorical nature of this realm. <Have you encountered anything new or has anything else happened since we last spoke?>
<Kenta and I dealth with Leo, but I fear we have lost his trust. But these things are what they are,> signs Heather, shrugging at that, <Has Star been dealt with yet? I have not even encountered the Jinx of this realm. But I know Robyn and Connor need help returning to themselves, and I intend to give it to them. I am also wondering about Alaric. I think he will use us to find an escape route and then try to leave us so he can yield the demon's power. Keep an eye on him.>
Nodding to everything Heather says, David contributes by gesturing, <I have only briefly encountered Jinx, but I had been under the impression that James had or will deal with her. She has become human.> He ponders if Jinx had been in her right mind how she would take to being completely human in appearance. He continues signing, <I believe Cloud should be present for Star's change to deal with any psychological fallout. I've not seen Connor in weeks, but I heard he was present when you and the others rescued Alaric and I agree about keeping an eye on him. Any ideas on how to change Robyn back. I feel as if it is connected to the bear. And what exactly happened with Agent Troy?>
<We shot him, his mind reverted to only one, instead of the split mind,> says Heather, frowning at the question for a moment. She scratches through her tangled hair and then nods quickly at David, <I had seen him there. He is staying at the asylum. I will seek him out, and I will find a way to make him into himself again. I do not want to lose any friends here.>
<Alright, I have faith that they will all be returned to normal. We won't lose anyone else. Kisha was enough.> He pauses a moment and shakes his head, clearly affected by her disappearance, <So which personality stayed? Leo or Troy?>
<Well, it wasn't shot so much as a darkforce bolt. But it was close,> gestures Heather, nodding a few times, <I am disappointed by several of my own failures since coming here, but I will not cry over stolen oil. Leo seems to be the personality that stayed. I think his was the original personality, though.>
David hmmmmns and thinks for a moment, <Oh jeez. I figured the darkforce would work and while I never knew Leo. I figured that was the primary personality. Wow…I wonder if there will be repurcussions with SHIELD.> He shrugs and then signs, <Heather, you have the right attitude. It was your finding Alaric that led to these breakthroughs. I'm sure that won't be forgotten.>
Heather nods at David quickly and says, <When things are back to normal, I expect my punishment from Ms. Frost to be swift and brutal, but it will be an improvement over this place. I like hot showers and my journals. I have not tweeted in quite awhile. Whether or not anything I've done is forgotten, it is for my best and the best of the people here.> She crosses her arms and looks off a little ways, <SHIELD will deal with it. His mind is repaired and unified. He may be more useful.>
<Well, Ms. Frost isn't as much of a tyrant as everyone thinks. I wouldn't be surprised if she was working 'behind the scenes' psionically keeping the rest of us from being transformed.> David stares a moment and then chuckles, <In your examination of this place, have you seen any….well, this place is weird, of course, but any traces of this demon, Tegu-Haaz?>
<The world is the demon, I suspect. I suspect the demon is also connected to Alaric. Connor and Troy were both scared of him, whether because they are part of the world, or because they know something I do not, I don't know. But he summoned it, and it may be bound to him,> signs Heather, shaking her head as she doesn't have more indication than that. <Ms. Frost is not so much a tyrant, no, but I don't think she appreciates my animosity towards her sense of order.>
<Well, your animosity towards order and authority is one of your defining characteristics, nemesis.> David grins and then offers, <The world is the demon. I never thought about it. It never occurred to me that the demon is the world. Well, if Krakoa can be island and Ego a Living Planet, then why can't Tegu-Haaz be a dimension. But I didn't know Connor and Troy were afraid of Alaric. Yet, Mike did not display any fear when I killed him in front of the mage.>
<Mike could not fear. Or at least his counterpart could not. He was not capable of it, merely base thoughts and clicking. He seemed like a lobotomized version of Mike,> signs Heather, nodding quickly after that, <That being said, I think I know how to find Connor. As usual, I want someone to go to the asylum with me. If I am turned, it's important that others know as soon as possible.> She detangles some more of her hair. <Robyn, I know he is connected to the bear. I will talk to him, and I /will/ find out the relevance. But I want him to consent to anything I do. Even the shadows of minds that exist here deserve some closure.>
<Mike could not fear. Or at least his counterpart could not. He was not capable of it, merely base thoughts and clicking. He seemed like a lobotomized version of Mike,> signs Heather, nodding quickly after that, <That being said, I think I know how to find Connor. As usual, I want someone to go to the asylum with me. If I am turned, it's important that others know as soon as possible.> She detangles some more of her hair. <Robyn, I know he is connected to the bear. I will talk to him, and I /will/ find out the relevance. But I want him to consent to anything I do. Even the shadows of minds that exist here deserve some closure.>
<Wise choice. Well, it seems for someone you hate. We make pretty good team.> David smiles, <So I will go with you to the asylum. Perhaps there is a lock there that needs to be unlocked with the key.>
<You think I hate you? I don't think you understand my enmity,> gestures Heather, shaking her head quickly. <My last nemesis was myself from the future. I took measures to defeat her, even though she was better than me. I did not hate her. Quite the opposite.> She then nods at David and adds, <The key is an important object, and the asylum is an important place. It seems reasonable.>
David quirks an eyebrow, pauses, and then looks down and smiles, <Alright, then the asylum it is, I've been all over that place. I am wondering what I missed. This place, this demon. It is incredibly inconvenient. And I am not even sure the waters of the lake were the 'silver waters' that Alaric had referred too.>
<I do not think so, but I suspect that silver water is mercury. It is the only metallic liquid I know. Perhaps the source of the madness, the reason for the asylum. But where would such a thing be?> says Heather, turning and pacing slightly now. <We cannot leave to the asylum yet. My wake cycle will end soon, and I will fall asleep.>
David hmmmmns, <Kenta mentioned something about a Chinese man and a lake and mercury, but for the life of me, I didn't know what he was talking about. In fact, perhaps this dimension has affected me too. I'm usually alot smarter than this.> He takes off the cybershades and looks at them, <A month without these things and I become an idiot.> He hands the shades over to Heather, <Here you go for when you run.>
<I am intelligent but not yet knowledgeable. I don't know anything about a Chinese man and a lake, or mercury, but perhaps I will have to talk to him about it.> She reaches towards the shades and puts them on over her eyes, blinking a few times rapidly. <I do not think that you have become less intelligent. Usually, there are more people in proximity than in this place.>
<If I see Kenta, I'll ask him too. We were all winded after fighting the octopus and I should probably check on Chloe too when I get the chance.> David signs, <The shades look good on you. Go well with the outfit.>
<When I end my wake cycle, I will be switching back to Hello Kitty. I would rather feel connected to our world than wear these robes. I think shades and goggles suit my face,> gestures Heather quickly, <They obscure the contrast between my general pallor and the discoloration beneath my eyes.> She frowns and then nods, <I need to see Chloe, make sure she is okay.>
<Chloe is fine. She was just upset that she got wet more than anything else….and she lost so many knives as my suggestion trying to hurt the creature, which thankfully worked.> David grins, <Wow…I can feel that we are getting close to home. Not in any sorta of realistic way. Just a gut feeling. Even though it's been a month since we came here. I still feel like we are almost there.>
<I have no feeling either way on how close we are to ultimate success, but we are closer than previously. We have pieces of knowledge about this world, and we have experts who have explored the place inside and out. We have clues and have broken barriers,> says Heather, nodding once at this. <But this is a constant labour, and when we become complacent, we lose the game. We can pat ourselves on our backs after I have had a warm shower. We should be proud, but careful.>
<Spoken like an X-Man.> David continues, <Well, I will process everything we have done as well. Let me go and check on the others and contact me when you are ready to go to the asylum.>
Heather nods at David and gestures, <You may read my notes, as well. They are in the Slaughtered Lamb, with my things, but available for anyone to read.> She nods once at this, and then walks back into the building to take her usual hour nap that occurs after each wake cycle.
