Having accepted the seemingly simple job of delivering a hand-written letter, the group is on their way to the destination...

The route: Sharr--->Emporium--->Bliss--->Neplusultra

The letter was, of course, given to Nivi, because she's the boss. Part of the agreement was to not open the envelope. Gaither had assured the group it was just personal junk that wouldn't interest them unless they were into soap operas anyway.

Nivi is happily checking the nav systems with Juros, mostly to pass the time, but also to see if any maintenance will be needed in the near future. Nivi yawns, then presses the comm button. "Hello, my beloved crew! We should arrive at Emporium within the hour. Your captain is going to take a quick nap. If I'm not awake in 40 minutes, please wake me. Thank you! See you then!"

And with that, Nivi heads off for a nap.

Why does folding space / warp / etc take time? The GM hasn't figured that out yet, so just play along for now. :p

"Like, I'm still expecting this so-called 'ex girlfriend' to turn out to be a deadly assassin-spy, hahahah.  And like we're just pawns in some vast clandestine conspiracy, hahah."

Travel time is filled with practicing freestyle stunts.

"Like, Epic dreams, Nivi, hahah."

  "Up until it is an obvious risk to keep it closed than otherwise for Nivi's safety, I am hoping to at least pretend we can manage a mail delivery without botching it."

  He shrugs, "Besides, if they were an assassin they already missed the chance for arranging skiing accidents."

Juros says, "I'm sure we're all curious about what's in the letter, but yeah. What Hakkof said. So the girl is down... you guys wanna watch Monster Bug Wars or do some other not-girl-friendly thing while we have the chance?"

"Like, too bad for the assassin!  Hahahah.  And like, I totally hope we survive too, hah.  Dude.  Opening the letter only jinxes it to be booby trapped, hah, so like, totally cool to leave it alone, hah.  And like, I'm totally cool with 'mice play while bunny's away' stuff, just be ready for when she finds out and is all, 'No way!  I was like, getting in the way of you dudes havin' fun together?!  Hah.  Like, I'm totally sorry!  Hah.  Waaaah!"

  Hmm, Guy Talk Stuff...  It would be unprofessional of Hakkof to talk about the soft fuzzy appeal of his employer in that way.

  "Where did you get, or put, enough bugs to pit them in war against eachother for our entertainment on this ship?"  Barrakian sterotype moment, assuming actual then and there animal death for their personal amusement before just some show.

Juros is entertained just from the responses he got. He proceeds to show the show to the other two so they can enjoy its over-the-top fun.

The trio is able to view the show before Nivi wakes and soon, the ship docks at Emporium. Nivi is yawning and stretching as she comes out to the others. "I'mma fill up on some Gammus. If you all want, we can enjoy the sights while we are here."

Kevin is all kinds of tickled by the brutal bug show where losing a match means being eaten alive.  He of course greets Nivi in his usual cheery way.

To her offer he answers, "May as well, hah.  Like, unless there's something productive we could be helping you with first, hahah.  Either way we should like, stick together.  Hah."

  There is a juvenile part of Hakkof that would put a 'no animals were harmed' message in the credits to see if anyone noticed.   At boss bunny's comments, he says "At the very least, someone should accompany you Nivi.  It would be unprofessional to let you go by yourself unless you wanted to go alone"  In which case it's still less than professional, but has an excuse for why you didn't prevent a mugging.

Juros nods. "Stick together." he agrees.

Nivi smiles brightly. "Alright then!" and leads the way out. Soon, the group is in Lira, the Capital city of Emporium! Nivi leads the group to the gift store (set there specifically for tourists visiting Emporium) and starts browsing. "The gift store will sell souvenirs which will tell us a brief overview of what sights there are to see here." Nivi surmises.

Kevin is glad the group agreed to stick together and giggles his perpetual giggle.  At the gift shop he's beginning to wonder if it's just Nivi or most Blissians who treat business trips like vacations.  Even the fun-loving atmosphere of extreme sports teams he's used to isn't this relaxed.  At least, the bosses aren't.

"So like, are these suveneirs like, business expenses?  Hah.  Oh!  It depends on if it's functional like a water bottle, right?  Hah."

 "How fortunate that many small versions of landmarks to not detract from the actual landmarks."  You know what would be better?  Giant versions of landmarks... Or would that just be silly?

Maybe this is the secret to Blissians being happy? They rarely get serious? Nivi answers, "Nope. If you want a souvenir, you'll have to spend your own money."

Nivi herself doesn't buy anything. After looking through the souvenirs a bit, she heads off with her crew to go have a look at the local tourist spots that the souvenirs reflected.

Lira proves to have a few fun things to be sure. Mostly land marks, statues, and an impressive building or two. There are 30-meter-high falls nearby the group is able to observe and enjoy.

The only business expense Nivi seems to pay for is the tune-up of the ship / parking fees. However, if the group decides not to pay the fees to see places like the falls, Nivi is sure to not leave her group and just heads for the ship.

Either way, eventually, the group gets back to the ship.

Kevin's fingerboard does an Ollie over an entire mountain range depicted on a postcard.  He smiles and gives Hakkof an Aloha sign.  He's not made of money but will get each of his new friends a token gift like a fingerboard or flashlight.  He'll also contribute to whatever group trip winds up happening.

Back at the ship, he says, "Well that was like, a fun pit stop, hah."

  Fortunately, Hakkof isn't so overboard with spending practicality as to skip the field trip.  He asks Kevin during the course of events "Is that waterfall tall enough to be considered Xtreme, or merely extreme?"

  Deep man, deep... Or maybe it's shallow water down there too, who knows.  Tour pamphlet knows.

Nivi seems to LOVE the new fingerboard. She skates it along Juros' back, has it 'hop' off Juros' shoulder and land on Kevin's shoulder. "Wheee! Thanks for the fingerboard, Kevin!" Nivi exclaims.

Juros just raises an eyebrow. He is sure to attach his new flashlight to his outfit. "Thanks, Kevin."

Nivi gets the ship started and heads off. "Next stop, Bliss!" Nivi says with clear joy in her tone.

"Difference between those terms is probably like, just a matter of publicity, hah.  Like, the old parable, 'If you punch out a shark off the edge of a waterfall and like, no one was around to film it, will you get any endorsement deals?'"

He smiles and giggles happily that his gifts were a splash.

"You're welcome, haha!  Glad you like, like!  Hahahahahah!"

Upon hearing the next destination he looks thrilled.

"Bliss?!  Dude!  Like, radical!"

  Hakkof is looking forward to the trip, because it means that probably he will not have to violently earn his keep.  Bodyguard was such a paradox, waste of money up until that point where you really need them.

  "Are we there as a social call to your home, or was there something else you wanted to take care of while there Nivi?"

Nivi says, "Well... while we're THERE, I figured I'd give my folks a visit. And what's more; in case you've never visited Bliss before, my homeworld has a rule for how visitors are handled. Each visitor has a blissian 'guide' who follows them. Normally, the rule is that they match genders, but I don't think anyone would mind me and my parents being the guides for you three."

Juros says, "...guides? Why a guide for everyone? Can't you do like other worlds and just have one tour guide for a group?"

Nivi says, "When you have one guide per visitor, you heighten awareness and allow for the guide to be much more approachable. It saves time and effort for both the guide and the visitor."

"Like, dibs on Nivi!  Hahahah," Kevin asserts, "Not that it's up to me or anything, hah.  But like, worth a shot, hahahah.  One guide per would like, get expensive for most tour groups.  Hah.  I guess Bliss caters to more affluent visitors, then.  Hahah."
This message was last updated by the player at 04:01, Tue 19 Nov 2013.

  The only problem with Kevin's claim was that the goat had thought of it first.  "I see no problem with such an escort, unless it becomes a burden on your family."  At least it shouldn't be a problem, it's not like Hakkof is planning on ending up in a situation that calls for reminding the shorter races that tall people are perfectly capable of performing leg locks.

Juros asks, "Dibs on Dad. How long till destination?"

Nivi says, "Should be there in 4 hours."

Juros nods. "I'mma catch a nap m'self."

Nivi says, "Sleep well!"

After Juros goes to bed, Nivi smiles at the others. "So what did you all do while I was asleep? Anything interesting?"

Kevin chuckles, pleased his claim on Nivi went uncontested.  Though now he's worried his assumption that her parents would be less inclined to take him surfing than she was way off.

"Like, depends on what you consider interesting, hahahah.  We like, watched a show on bugs, hah.

"Now would be a good time to like, recharge my batteries too, hahah.  See you dudes in four hours or something, hah."

  Hakkof feels that someone should remain conscious among the Blissian's employees.  Ninja attacks can occur at any time and place (which brings to mind Worst Bathroom Break Ever for Hakkof).

  "It is as Kevin said.  Though not every moment can be full of excitement."  He'd lose his barrakian membership card if he said he didn't mind that.

Fast forwarding a bit, Nivi is pleasant company. She plays card games with Hakkof and practices the fingerboard Kevin gave her.

The ship arrives on Bliss and lands. Waiting for the group are Nivi's parents! "Juros said he would like Dad to be his guide. Kevin asked for me. That leaves you with Hakkof, Mom."

Mommy bunny looks up at Hakkof with an 'oh my' expression. "It's been a long time since I've met a Barrakian. I am most pleased to be your guide. It is wonderful to meet you all! My name is Hanna. This is my husband Nelli."

Daddy bunny smiles brightly and waves. "An honor." he says.

Meeting the boss' parents.  This is a new experience for Kevin.  As is visiting Bliss.  He's a little surprised he's not getting high just from breathing the air.  But the place is otherwise living up to its Utopian reputation so far judging from the warm welcome.

"We like, come in peace, hahahah," Kevin says with his typical aloha sign, "Take us to your leader.  Hahahah.  Like, just kidding."

  Hakkof nods,  "It is a pleasure to meet you both, Hanna, Nelli.  I hope the last one you met did not cause any inconvenience."

  At least Hanna doesn't have to look up quite as far as usual to Hakkof compared to the usual big red person.

  He comments to Kevin, "They do not have to travel far to meet our leader for the moment." Hail Space Bunny.  Not just meaning Angel today.

OOC: Hakkof's always been in a vague 'lower average for Korshare' height.  Though now I'm having the mental image of him being an inch shorter than T'Shock.

Nelli says, "Which leader? We have local, state, continental, and the Blissian Original, who is in charge of all of Bliss."

Nivi giggles. "Think he was kidding, dad..."

Nelli looks at Kevin.

Hanna smiles up at Hakkof. "The last Barrakian we met was no trouble at all..."

---

OOC: Wonder why. T'shock is average female Fou height. Fou are somewhat shorter than Korshare and girls are shorter than boys. So you'd have to be especially shrimpy to be shorter than T'shock. XD Like... 5'3" or something. Funny image, though.

Kevin chuckles.

"Totally.  Like, note to self:  Don't like, assume folks from another planet will like, get pop culture references.  Hahahah.  Like, here I was assuming you'd get the joke, hah.  And like, you know what they say about the spelling of assume!  Hahahahahah!  So yeah.  Like, nice to meetcha!"

  "Good to hear Hanna.  Thank you for taking the time to show me around."  He looks to Kevin, and asks "Was that there is no I in Assume?"  Even we're not sure if he's making a bad joke or entirely serious, not like his expression changed much.

Nelli says, "Well let's start with food. I can lead us all to a local restaurant."

He leads the group to a nearby building. Noticeably, Blissian buildings are all white, roundish and have plenty of trees and flowers among them. The indoors are like a garden that's been mixed with streamlined clean tech. The tables are transparent normally, but can be changed to be opaque and/or any color the customer wishes.

Kevin chuckles at what he assumes is humor from Hakkof.  And this after having just been reminded he shouldn't assume.  At the restaurant he seems infinitely entertained by the color changing table, changing the color frequently.

"Wooooah."

  Fortunately, advances in roomba and gardening technology means you won't get pretty leaves drifting down into your food.

  Hakkof has no issue with Kevin playing with the color swirl controls, though is curious of the goat will end up getting it stuck on the plaid setting.

A blissian comes to the table. "Hello and welcome. My name is Aurila and I'll be your waiter today." he offers menus. "May I get you anything to drink?"

Juros says, "Water, thanks..."

Nivi and her parents get water as well.

The menu is thick and sturdy like most restaurant menus. The menu has a "visitor" section designed for non-Blissians that has various foods from other race's tastes. Under it is another section titled "Carnivore" that covers several kinds of meat dishes. It does have a disclaimer, though, to only order from that section if you are of a race that requires meat intake for health reasons (such as Gynomb, Wolves, and Barrakians*). This section also includes a blood drink for species that require blood such as bats.

Outside of the "visitor" section, there are parts of the menu marked with asterisks which denote foods you should ask the waiter about to find out if your species is capable of ingesting it.

The menu is mostly composed of plantlife, but there are of course fruits and berries. What stands out is that the blissians apparently have edible sand, rocks, and tree bark.

---

*Barrakians are technically omnivorous, but require a certain amount of meat intake in a 48 hour period or they suffer health consequences.
OOC: Amazingly, in the 33 years I've lived, I have been camping in the redwood forest, ate at picnics in the woods, and have yet to have a leaf drift into my food. I wonder why...
This message was last edited by the player at 05:26, Tue 07 Jan 2014.

Kevin smiles at Aurila.  "Hi! Hahah.  Uh... Dude, I dunno!  Hah.  Like, water's nice and popular today, but like, I don't wunna miss out on a chance to try something new, hah.  So like...  What do you recommend?  Hahahah."

He's tempted to turn the menu into a fingerboard half-pipe but he's busy flipping through the straaange menu items at the moment.  "Dude...  it's food...   Hahahahah."

  Hakkof suspects that if you tickled Kevin, it would make him stop laughing.  The barrakian gets a fizzy pink fruit drink.  Hey, you gotta take advantage of your drink choices when you can outside of toughguy bars and diners with expectations of your horned angryness.

Aurila smiles and nodnods to Kevin! "I recommend my namesake Aurila! It is a fruit drink of one of the Bliss-only fruits that has a distinct taste no other alien fruit has."

Nivi adds, "Aurila roughly translates to Tropical Sunset."

Juros says, "....make that two orders of Aurila then. I was going to look through the drinks, but if that's your recommendation..."

Aurila nods with excitement.

Hakkof's fizzy pink drink may not be that drink specifically, but it is a drink the Blissians listed as recommended for foreigners to try. It's called Mar.

There's a good chance Hakkof's theory is true, but Kevin's not telling, hah.

He offers a bro-fist to Juros.

"Like, sounds epic!"

To Aurila he says, "Woah, dude!  You're like, totally stoked!  Hahahah!"

  "Perhaps later, if our stay lasts that long.  I will keep the suggestion in mind, I am sure it is very pleasant if it shares your name Aurila."  He starts dialing up his language perk to see if any drink translated to 'moonlit night' out of curiosity, then remembers Blissian falls under 'Secret' language and his character perks aren't as OP as 4th Ed Scholar.

Hakkof spots a drink that roughly translates to "Moonlight", but that's the closest he finds.

Aurila smiles brightly, fists to his chest as he hops from one foot to the other in pure bliss at Hakkof's statement. "Thank you!"

To Kevin, Aurila nodnods. "You bet I am!" and he heads off.

Nivi giggles. "That was nice of you, Hakkof. I take it you, Kevin and Juros are happy to be here."

Juros says, "You kidding? Just about the only reason anyone says 'I wouldn't want to go to Bliss' is because they're jealous of those who do."

---

"Only Blissians know Blissian" was another result of "Make them overpowered just to survive", so no worries here. It actually makes MORE sense they would be one of the most open races about their language. The Grenu might be reluctant to teach their language to outsiders, though.

Kevin nods in agreement with both Juros and Hakkof.

"Like, totally!"

He concludes that Bliss gets its name less from it being a paradise planet and more from how easy it is to make the natives experience Bliss.  Not that Kevin is one to talk, hahah.

"Like, totally!  Hah.  'Course half the fun is like, being here with you and your radical family.  Hahah."

   "I've gotten most of my stereotypical Barrakian aggression out of the way ahead of time.  So spending time someplace where I will not likely have to deal with someone attempting to mug my employer can be appreciated."

Nelli says, "Actually, it might interest the bunch of you to know that Barrakians are some of the most common visitors here on Bliss."

Nivi nodnods. "Thanks, Kevin.. and I enjoy hanging out with all of you."

The food and drink are yummy and exotic. Some stuff is bound to taste like other things the bunch have eaten, but just like if you are used to Chinese and then go to a Greek restaurant, it's different for the most part.

"Dude.  If it's not like, a mugging, then it'll be a catastrophic accidental injury or natural disaster, hahahah."

Kevin smiles and aloha-signs Nivi.  "Like, glad you like!  Hahahah!"

He nods at Nelli.  "Dude.  Like, totally can't blame them for liking it here!  Hah."

He compliments the yummy exotic food and drink, offering to share tastes with his friends.

  Hakkof hmms,  "I guess a change of pace is more popular than a lot of us would admit."

  He looks to Kevin and comments "You make it sound like the planet will explode because we decided to visit,"  Wrong continuity Hakkof.

The lunch is soon over and the group escorted to their next destination...

Nivi asks, "So do you all want to go shopping for souvenirs? Or see some sights? What would you like?"

Juros says, "While I'm curious how shopping works in your currency-free society, I think it'd be best for us to see the sights."
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:02, Tue 11 Feb 2014.

"Dude, like, everything comes to an end eventually, hah.  So it's like, just a question of time before something inconvenient comes up, hahah.  So like, may as well be ready for it!  Hahahah!"

To Nivi he answers, "Dude!  Like, if there's some readical mountain to climb up or board down, beach to surf, rapids to shoot, or whatever, I'm like, all over it!   Hahahahah!"

To Juros, "Woah.  I never thought of that.  Hahah."

  "I think some sight seeing would be a good idea.  Or is souvenir shopping not like Gift Shops where they are always near the way out?"

Fast forwarding a bit; the group gets to see some of the sights of this area of Bliss. They are pretty and amazing, like any wonderous sight tends to be. In the local area, there is a rock field with rock formations that look like upside-down stalacmights. The field stretches on for miles, so to the group, it looks like it goes to the horizon. There is also a grand river nearby that the group gets to enjoy a tour boat through.

By the time the group is done enjoying the sites, it is coming up on night. Nelli says, "If you all would like, our home has enough room for all of you to sleep comfortably for the night."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:58, Wed 19 Feb 2014.

First Kevin was all, "Woah!"  Then he was all, "Woooah!"  Then he was all, "Woaho-ho!"  Clearly having a blast with Blissian sight seeing.

"Woah!  Like, a sleep over!  Radical!  You bet I'd like!"

Air guitar!

  "That would be preferable to another night on a ship, thank you Nelli."  Hakkof wonders how Kevin is making actual guitar noises, but writes it off as a tiny space Ipod or something.

  I mean, if electric drumsticks were a toy in the real life 80's, Hand guitar Science may very well be a thing here.

  Hakkof's player wasn't an idiot as a small child thinking the wires were just tethers to keep you from losing them and cut them off, that would be crazy.

Nivi's parents are very hospitable and kind to the group. They share stories and laughter. Then when night comes and people go to bed, Nivi goes to gather her group while in her nightgown. "Come and see..."

She shows the group an Aurora-like effect in the night sky.

"So dude goes, 'Let a man handle this!'  Hahahah!  Like, you can guess what happened next..."

Seems Kevin's favorite stories to share are those of braggarts who wipe out.  He's full of smiles and thank-yous for all the hospitality he's shown.  When taken to the natural light show he stares and gapes in wonder.

"Wooooah!"

  It's like a verbal funniest sports accidents.  With it's own laugh track.

  As the fancy nightlights are introduced by the fuzzy girl in a nightgown, Hakkof follows along and enjoys the view.  "Does this appear often, or only from time to time?"

Juros, of course, enjoys the wipe-out stories. Nivi just looks concerned and asks if they wound up alright.

Juros is also in awe of the pretty display.

To Hakkof, Nivi answers, "Often? Hmm... does once to twice a week count?"

Kevin can only assume that all the braggarts recovered from their injuries but can't say for sure that they did.

"Woah!  Like, that is often!  Hah.  Bliss is like, totally radical!  Hahah."

He smiles and alohas at Nivi then leans over to nudge Juros.

"Dude.  Like, snap out of it.  Hahah."

  "Close enough, Nivi.  Thank you again for having us over."  A nice change of pace from idiot muggers or being told 'you'll totally die if you do this'.

The night goes pleasantly and the group sleeps well. The next day, Nivi's parents serve breakfast for the group and continue to be cute bunnies. But Nivi bids the parents farewell and soon the group is on the ship again, ready to continue on to their destination.

Nivi seems really chipper, as if energized by the visit.

"Dude.  Like.  Totally," Kevin agreed with Hakof.  He of course thanked the bunnies for the hospitality before heading off with Nivi.

"What an awesome stop!  Hah.  Like, your home is totally radical, nivi!  Haha.  I'm like, soooo going back some day.  Hahahah."

He bangs his head while hopping around like a bunny.

Kevin's antics make Nivi giggle and Juros laugh. Juros says, "We should all visit each others' homes some time..."

Nivi nodnods. "Let's get our simple job done first."

The ship takes off and heads to the next stop: Neplusultra.

  Hakkof shrugs, "While showing you around the world sometime may come up, I do not have a permanent home at the moment."  Even if he did, it would have just been collecting dust for a few years at this point.

Kevin smiles that he made his friends laugh.  Hakkof is a tougher audience it seems.  Come to think of it, Kevin can only remember seeing him smile once.  On the bright side, he wasn't smiling about something disturbing like severed body parts.  Kevin gets a far-away look when the topic of visiting home comes up but he quickly perks up and starts bragging.

"Dude!  My home is like, epic radical awesome!  Hahah.  Like, it's a spaceship captained by a Blissian babe and crewed by Grenu and Brakian dudes!   Hahaha."

Juros chuckles. "When you put it THAT way, our new little home here does sound pretty epic."

Nivi goes for a bro-hug on Kevin and says, "Thanks."

Juros says, "So Kevin... you from Neplusultra? Tharia? Tavern maybe? Or am I to take it you don't really know for sure?"

  Kevin was born on a jetski ramping over an erupting volcano, obviously.

  "The ship has been far more pleasant than it's beginnings of not even being sure it was spaceworthy suggested, yes."

Kevin smiles, chuckles, returns the hug, then aloha signs.  If he knew what Hakof was thinking he'd be blushing too.

"Like, totally, hahah," Kevin agrees.

He considers Juros' question.  "Hahahah.  Like, I was born on a cargo ship.  Hah.  Like, don't have a home world.  Hahah.  Unless being cooped up inside various cargo ships counts.  Hah.  Like, how 'bout you?"

Nivi claps in response to Kevin. "It may not count as a home world, but it certainly counts as a home..."

Juros says, "Sounds interesting. I was born in a city called Khiyas. It's known for producing the most vehicles in my homeworld. Khiyas is located in Morul, on the grenu home world Gog."

Nivi smiles and says, "The most vehicles? Fascinating."

Juros nods decidedly. "Then it's decided. We'll visit each others' old stomping grounds when this mission's through."

  A tour of Bars, Clubs, and (if still around) Mercenary facilities.  The first two might actually work for a field trip, probbaly not so much the latter.  "It is somewhat more literal when it comes to my old stomping grounds."

"Eheh..." Kevin chuckles nervously, "Eh...  Like, I totally don't want to ever see the inside of a cargo ship again.  Like.  Totally."

He looks over to Hakkof.  "Dude.  Like, should we like, get some armor or something?  Hahah."

Juros looks at Kevin curiously. "...no loved ones? No old friends, family or acquaintances?"

Nivi looks concerned.

  "I would love to get more armor one of these days, but for some strange reason my medical bills without have been much less than the repair bills with.  As for Cargo ships, we are making a delivery.  We are a cargo ship Kevin."

  Dun dun duuuuuuun.
This message was last updated by the player at 22:11, Mon 24 Mar 2014.

Kevin smiles at Hakof's claim and plays along.  “Like, noooo waaay!   Hahah.  The walls are like, closing in on meee!  Hahah.  Dude.  This is a cargo ship like running a lap is a 360.  Hah.  Not getting any points for that trick, dude.  Hahaha.”

To Juros he answers, “Dude!  Like, tonns of friends once I left the cargo ship gig.  Hah.  Before then my best friends were Mr. stairway handrail and Mr. improvised skateboard!  Hahahah!”

Juros asks, "So... like what: Orphan? Cargo ship run by pirates? I'm trying to understand how you grew up in a cargo ship without any contact with people until you left the ship."

Nivi says, "Juros, that's a little rude..."

Juros scriggley-faces and shrugs. "Just trying to understand!"

   "I would assume something more simple like workaholic parents only stopping long enough for their next shipment."

"Get that dude a cigar!  Hahahah!" Kevin cheers, indicating Hakkof, "'cept not really workaholics.  More like screenaholics.  Hah.  If it was on a screen they were like, waay addicted.  Even soaps.  Hahah.  Dude.  I've met rocks more animated than my folks.  Hahah.  Rest of the crews were just as boring with few exceptions.  Hahahah."

Juros says, "So you DID have family!"

Nivi says, "So.... your family is on the old cargo ship? Don't you suppose they would appreciate a house call? I mean... boring isn't enough reason to not visit your mom and dad, right?"

  "I suppose it might be possible, if they kept their ship still long enough"  And Kevin's family wasn't killed in a space alley, resulting in Kevin's vow to become Cargoship Man.

  Right, that is nonsensical even for us.  But it's late and we want to make sure we post something.

Kevin smiles, thumbs-ups, and points at Hakkof.

"I think my folks and I have like, reached an understanding.  Hah.  They're like, all happy and stuff to see my face on screen.  hah.  And like, I'm happy doing radical tricks in front of the camera.  Hahaha.  Like, no need for visits!  Hah"

(Posting for Tim since he shut down his compy)
Nivi headshakes. "We can save the visit to your parents for last then."

So start with Bliss. Then make your way through Gog, then the war planet Barrak, then finish with "OMG I'M TERRIFIED OF MY BORING PARENTS!" ....somewhere along the way, things went backwards.

Juros shrugs, "Can always call them and see if they're good for a visit. Maybe there will only be one window we can pull it off."

  "I suppose it will be one of those 'if it comes up' things.  Unless after we finish the current job, we just beat head to their next destination before they leave."

Kevin uses the aloha sign to pretend like he's making a phone call then makes a bitter prediction.

"Ring ring.  'Yo.'  'Like, hey!  It's Kevin!'  'Make it quick.  Commercial break.'  'Where and when can I like, meet up with you and mom?'  'Dude!  Like, we're totally too busy watching the screen when we're not like, too busy moving cargo."

He's not even laughing this time!

"'But like, I want you to meet my radical new friends!'  'Dude!  Now you're like, totally interrupting our show!  We're gunna hafta rewind!  Like, go find a handrail to fall off or something!'"

He hangs up his pretend phone.

"Uh...  Sorry, guys.  My parents uh...  Totally met a tragic accident and are like, brain dead."

Nivi is silent for a bit.

Meanwhile, Juros looks annoyed. "What kind of... How can... but they..." He hops anxiously a few times with all four legs.

Nivi holds up a finger. "Let's drop the topic for now." She then looks at Kevin and gives a bright smile, "After our job, I'll wanna talk with you privately. Until then, let's just enjoy each others' company."

  "Probably a good idea, Nivi."  Juros looks more hopping mad than annoyed... Okay, that was terrible.

"Like, yaay for dropping the topic, hah," Kevin says, touched that Juros is angry on his behalf

He's unsurprised at the Barakian being unemotional.  And relieved he didn't get any stories about, "My parents played Frisbee with my brain and you don't hear me complaining."

"Like, you're the boss, Nivi, hah."

Nivi makes with some good times, playing board games. It takes Juros about half an hour to calm down from his anger on Kev's behalf, but he doesn't let that get in the way of participating.

Eventually, the notice comes in that they are fast approaching Neplusultra. When the docking person finds out the ship is captained by a Blissian, the docking fees are waved (because the Blissians already have some of their own working on this dock to "pay" for any and all Blissian visits).

The ship is then escorted to the surface of the planet, to a specific area where Nivi was told to deliver the message. Obviously, you can't just land in someone's front lawn, so the ship is landed at a ship parking lot (Or a surface dock). Nivi looks at her guidance system and says, "Looks like it'll be about a 30 minute walk, or a 10 minute taxi drive from here. If you guys don't mind 30 minute walk both ways, we can save the taxi cost."

 Of course not, Frisbees are not nearly heavy or dangerous enough.

  Once it comes down to a choice of walk or cab, he says "May as well walk, it is not a long distance."  and it helps to get paid for much of anything before taking cab rides for the hell of it.

Kevin finds it difficult to not feed Juros' anger with anectdotes about his past for as much as he's tickled his new friend is getting emotional on his behalf, but he manages to keep it to himself.  Kevin's idea of a board game involves a wave or slope so he plays around with his finger board during the game.

"'Like, no boarding on this property!  Go directly to jail!  Do not pass go!  Do not collect your Miranda rights!'"

He's impressed with the Blissian docking policy.

"Dude.  I still can't like, get over the whole 'for free' thing you guys do all the time, hahah."

Later when asked about a taxi ride, "I could totally use a walk.  Hah.  Like, free skateboard lessons if anybody wants 'em!  Hahaha!"

Nivi says, "Me please!"

Juros says, "Ladies first. But then I get to have some lessons too!"

Nivi then says, "And what's to get over? You do things for a friend for free, right? Just think of that, how it feels, and then imagine you have that moment every day."

  "Perhaps on the way back if we have time.  My limited experience was mostly moving around, after I took 'grab the half-pipe' to mean 'hand it to them' got me thrown out of the place for property damage" And that is why Hakkof does not work at that skate park anymore.

  They forgot to ask for the Mascot suit back though.

OOC:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nf9JVj-J1w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6IYyvypJ4o
This message was last edited by the player at 03:33, Sun 11 May 2014.

Kevin smiles happily at the positive response from his friends and giggles at Hakof's story.  He considers Hakof's size and weight.

"Like, we should totally get you each your own board, hahah.  It's like, way harder to learn on a mismatched board.  Hah.  Nivi's close enough to my size to get started on mine, hahah."

He'll start Nivi off with the basic task of not falling off while Juros pulls the board with his tail.  He'll act as a safety net on one side and ask Hakof to be her safety net on the other side.

....and so it was that a ship docked and when the ship's ramp lowers, the reception sees a blissian on a skatboard being pulled by a Grenu while sided by a Goat and a Barrakian.

The reception just kinda stares.

Nivi smiles and waves at them before hopping off. "Thanks, Kevin. That was fun." Juros is also in a great mood.

  Hakkof is pleased that his employer has not smashed her bunny nose on the pavement.  He also manages to avoid comparisons to sled dogs for Juros.

  Though it is a close thing.

Kevin isn't self-aware or self conscious enough to realize how unlikely his group looks.  Between being focused on teaching Nivi and enjoying fun with friends, he doesn't spare a thought for any weird looks onlookers may give.

"Like, My pleasure, Nivi!  Hahah.  You did great!  Hah.  'course, helps to not have to start out learning to push the board yourself.  Hahah.  That's like, tough for a beginner, hahahah.  So like, Juros was a big help!  Hah."

He offers Juros a high-five.  Then offers one to Hakkof and Nivi.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:28, Thu 05 June 2014.

Juros has to point his butt a little more at Kevin before high-fiving with his tail-hand.

The walk (or skateboard) to the location is relatively uneventful. But once the group arrives at the address, it does seem to be a home of some kind. Nivi knocks at the door and a female mewi* answers.

Nivi introduces herself and her crew, explains why they are there, and delivers the envelop. The mewi decides to invite the group in for some cookies and milk while she reads the message.

*mewi = blue cat. Most common race on Neplusulatra.

  Hopefully for the customer's sake, the message is not anything that will cause her to shoot milk out her little kitty nose.

  Hakkof will thank her and head in if/when Nivi does.  Which is probably going to happen, but manners and stuff.

Kevin giggles at the radical Grenu high five.  He does a few simple tricks on the skate board on the way like popping a wheelie but is careful to try not to look like he's showing off.

At the Mewi's place, he waits for what seems like a good time and asks, "So like, what's you name?  Hah.  And like, what's the letter about?  I gotta know!  Hahah.  Unless like, 'If I told you I'd totally have to silence you,' Hahahahah."

*GM looked it up and I never gave the girlfriend a name. So her name is Harriot

Harriot says, "Oh! It's... just a love letter." she hugs the note protectively, as if worried the others will ask more, mostly keeping an eye on Kevin.

Nivi and Juros are enjoying the cookies and milk like children; their faces covered in milk and cookie crumbs. ^.^

  Hakkof is not going to ask what the letter says, he is to busy avoiding milk stache and crumbs as it is anyways.

  He does wonder if it's their job to warn them why it had to be hand delivered, but feels if Harriot's toaster has not attempted to murder her yet, then the ex-girlfriend is a very boring hacker.

Kevin chuckles at Nivi and Juros' kiddy antics and plays along, making bubbles with his glass.  To Harriet's worried look he smiles brightly and offers his signature aloha handsign.

"Radical!  Like, it was killin me to know it wasn't some super spy mission or some junk, hahahah.  Thata been like, woah!  Hahahah.  You dig snow dudes, then?  Hah.  My friends say I did well for a list minute entry, hah.  Like, your boyfriend's trash talk made me wunna beat him sooo bad, hahahahah!  But had fun either way hah."

He pretend to do a few skiing zig-zag while making SHhh-SHhh-SHhh sounds.

Juros suddenly falls into a hole that materialized in the floor. "EEK!" The hole just as quickly closes. Nivi double-takes. "Juros?! Juros! Where are you?!"

She hops to her feet. Harriot looks terrified by the sudden turn of events.

A paper airplane flies into the room and lands on the table.

Should anyone grab it and unfold it, it's a note that reads: "If you want your friend back, tell Gaither to meet me at these coordinates:" and a set of coordinates on planet Tharia are given.

  Hakkof considers punching a hole through the floor, but fortunately has enough common sense to realize it was probably freaking teleportation or something, and not a literal hole in the floor... Wait, that's common sense?

  He picks up the letter (in case it explodes), and after reading it to the crowd says "Well... How unfortunate for Juros.  I suppose we could resort to kidnapping in order to meet the demands of kidnappers."

  Because asking nicely will totally work, right.

"Woah!" Kevin gasps, "Juros!  No way!"

He pats the ground where Juros was, looking for a trap door.  After Hakof reads the note, Kevin thinks for a bit.

"Dude...  This is like, totally serious stuff!  We should like, totally call the cops or something.  But I don't get why they'd kidnap Juros and not Harriot."

Nivi double-checks the note. "...it doesn't say anything about kidnapping, Hakkof. Just to tell Gaither to meet them at a location. We tell Gaither, then we go to the location. Weather Gaither shows up or not, we've done what the note asked."

Hariot says, "Oh...dear... I'm sooo sorry! I don't know what to do!" she is too distraught to point out how naive the blissian is being.

  Hakkof reminds himself that he is too professional to facepalm on the job.  "While I can appreciate taking things that literally, it is generally implied what they want has to actually show up when it comes to this sort of demand.  Asking nicely does not seem to be something that would work."

  He turns to Harriot.  He has some ideas, but prefers not to voice them just yet.

Kevin head-tilts in confusion at Harriot.

"Woah, like, chill, babe.  Like, none of this is your fault... right?  But for what to do, you can like, let us use your phone to call the cops."

Harriot is more than willing to let them use her phone. Soon, the cops arrive and Nivi explains what's going on. The cops search the house, use various tools to try and detect what might have happened, and question each person in the house.

About 2 hours later, the cops tell the group they'll look into it and they leave.

Nivi is nibbling on her fingertips with worry. Harriot just looks down. Through the interrogation, both girls had to cry at some point and Harriot made it obvious how much she felt it was her fault. But the cops pretty well cleared anyone here of suspicion.

 "That went about as expected."  Though still probably better than never telling the police what happened, we guess.   "So, when do we leave to start dealing with this ourselves?"  He's not going to outright ask 'when do we kidnap our recent Ski Rival/Customer to use as bait for the Ex-Girlfriend' in front of the CURRENT Girlfriend.  That would be silly.

Not that he doesn't care at all for Harriet, but Kevin is much more concerned over Nivi's tears and is sure to try and comfort her.  He does his best to remind Harriet that unless she took part in the plot to kidnap Juros, it's like, totally not her fault.  He was also sure to ask the police lots of questions about how kidnappers are found, what he and his friends can do to help the investigation, what they shouldn't do that would get in the way, and especially whether they should meet the demands of the kidnappers.

Depending on the answers, Kevin will suggest, "For starters we should like, totally have Harriet call her boyfriend."

Nivi, typical of blissians, totally leaned on anyone who hugged her. Currently, shes nibbling on her fingertips, pondering. "I... yeah, sure."

One phonecall later, Harriot has the phone on speaker. The situation is explained.

Gaither says, "...sorry, guys. But hey, I'm wiring your payment to you now. Far as helping you get your guy back, well, sure. Maybe we can set up a sting or something. I'll go to the police and see about working with them. She's never gone this far, and now that she has, jail is totally where she needs to be. For her safety and everyone else's around her."

 "Is this normal for relationships, or is she just particularly clingy?"  Or when he dumped her, was it off of a ski lift?

Kevin is surprised and impressed that boyfriend dude offered to help catch the ex he was trying to avoid.  But probably best not to say anything about that.

"Chick's like, totally out of her gourd, dude.  She even like, totally nabbed the wrong person.  Woulda like, made way more sense to nab the girlfriend, not the delivery dude.  At least she can't like, nab more than one dude at a time."

Despite Murphy being tempted to just swallow two more dudes right then, it doesn't happen.

Nivi says, "You ask like you're not used to relationships, Hakkof. Of course it's unusual."

Gaither says, "What can I say? Chicks really find me irresistable."

Somewhere, though tied and gagged, Juros manages to facepalm. Then his bonds go back to normal.

The cops set something up and soon, the group is heading for the exchange. The cops give their thorough instructions and go over them several times.

  "It has not really come up Nivi, no.  Also fistfights to settle who's turn it is to do the dishes seem more frowned upon out here."

"Like, woah!" is all Kevin had to say about the violent dish battles.

At the exchange he goes over wild contingencies with himself.

"Zoop!  Dude gets teleported away.  'Ok, like, you can have Juros back.  Sorry, but he was like... scrambled by the teleporter.'  'Juros!  You've a tail growing out of your chest!'

"Or like...  'Nevermind the exchange!  I've fallen for Juros!  He brags about his whole race instead of just himself!'

"Or like...  'Surprise!  You're on the "Dangerous and Humiliating Practical Jokes Show!"'

"Or like...  'Please help!  Juros escaped and has been chasing me with a feather duster ever since!'"

The exchange goes as the cops predicted. Juros is exchanged for Gaither, but then the cops jump in and arrest the kidnapper.

The cops congratulate everyone involved, though clearly, Gaither isn't happy.

Nivi goes to glomp Juros, though.

  Hakkof was expecting Kevin's second contingency, but does not admit this out loud.

  "I know a lot go for that whole honor thing, but why do I get the feeling some people here consider lying worse than kidnapping?"

Kevin hurries to dogpile Juros!

"Juros!  Hahahahahahahah!"

That's the first he's laughed since his quadruped buddy vanished.

"Like, sooo awesome to see you're alright!  I was like, sooo worried for you, hah.  Like, the ransom note was all, 'Like, if you want your friend back, like, tell Gaither to meet me at these coordinates!'  I was thinking like, 'No way!  Like as if a crazy is gunna keep to the implied promise to return you!  Hah.  But like woah!  She like, totally forgot the 'Don't call the cops' part!  Hahah.  So we totally did!  Hahahah!  So like, what all happened on your end?"

Posting for Tim:

Juros blushes from the attention and answers Kevin, "Can't say I was completely bored... the girl is conversational, if delirious. I'm convinced she'll be put in a psych ward rather than prison when all is said and told."
Nivi says, "All's well that ends well. Here's hoping she gets the help she needs now that we all got the help we needed."

  "Out of morbid curiosity, did she ever mention why all the revenge stalking outside of 'because they broke up with me'?" Was it a dog? He heard cats hate dogs or something.  No recollection on Dog opinions on goats and rabbits and handsome devils.

"Woah.  Like, so awesome you weren't like, stuck in a pit and hosed.  Hah.  When you're talkin' about a crazy you never know what might happen.  Hahah."

Kevin smiles over at Hakkof.  "Lies, like, hurt the liar most...  haha.  Ya know... hah.  'cause of the burning pants!  Hahahahah!"

Juros says, "Stuff like "Poor Gaither. He is confused. He doesn't know what he's doing. So I just have to help him out." and "Once we're together again, I can undo the brainwashing." and other cuckoo stuff."

Nivi says, "Well it's behind us... maybe we can find a job while we're here."

  Hakkof is going to feel mildly silly if it turns out that yes, she was dumped because Gaither was brainwashed.

  But then, crazy ex girlfriends who don't even get a name put to them have never been the most credible source of conspiracy theories.

  "Yes, we do seem to have difficulty finding tasks which are not deemed too dangerous to survive, or just happen to end up with things like this."  Not like the group has had that many jobs to begin with, but a pattern is beginning.

Kevin pauses to think then chuckles.  "Like, dunno what to say to a crazy being all non-vengeful and stuff.  Hahah.  Like, guess all I can say is I'm glad its behind us like Nivi said.  Hahahah."

He smiles at Hakkof.  "Like, could be worse.  Hah.  We coulda like, gon exploring that deadly jungle!  Hahahah!"

He smiles and salutes Nivi.  "Like, lead the way, boss!  Hahahah!"