The Bumbling idiot with a glazed look in his eyes, a couple teeth missing in his mouth, and seven fingers total, managed to discover one of the spring-loaded hinges that Jamie has otherwise successfully concealed from the general public.  The more intelligent people who know of this just chuckled and kept clear, knowing the ruse.

Jamie, while sipping her tea, caught a glance of the fool about to touch the device, and wiggled her nose. For little more than dramatic effect.

A tall conical dunce cap fell from the ceiling and covered the village idiot's head.

The village idiot cried out, or rather slurred out, his protest.  Born more out of too much alcohol too early in the morning than any lack of IQ, he managed to stumble blindly out into the plaza creating a humorous scene for everyone at his expense.  Jamie made sure that the main trap remained locked, but the one she designed for looky-loos were armed.

Out of one of the market stalls, an oversized glove sprang out and was nudged the village idiot over to the side of the road.  (I'll let someone else tell where the bumbling idiot stumbled into, only to have him kept busy for a while.)

Jamie chuckled and held up her hand.  The glove floated up and flew into her waiting hand.

"Prepared for Village Idiots, Check," Jamie said.

  Oh good, Tark does not have to resort to hurling bricks in public just yet.

  "Normally people love free hats, I wonder what his problem is." Your sarcasm still sounds too much like honest questions, Tark.  Work on that.

"Look friend. Just Don't do any magic and everything will be just fine. You really dont want to see a pissed rabbit folk so please for the love of money don't even move a finger. " hed seen pip cast magic without saying anything so he knew it was possible and he was trying to be friendly without resorting to violence if he didnt have to. Surely Tark would approve of that.

One of the wonderful things about prestidigitation, it's a foregone conclusion that May knows the faces of Karl, Chirpy, Tark, Pan, Meiou, etc, etc.  So she shouldn't find it at all difficult to recognize any of them.  It would be very unlikely, then, for May to interfere with Meiou's superb stick-up.

"Well she's exuberant," Pyrus chuckles, not addressing anyone in particular.

He scans the crowd, spots Chirpy, and starts hurrying over to him, unaware that Meiou already has things handled.

"Anybody taking bets?  I want in on the action!"

Chirpy doesn't respond to Meiou, but given he isn't moving, it is obvious he heard Meiou.

Karl is quickly figuring out that he doesn't have Chirpy's backup.

People begin betting and take Pyrus up on his offer. However, Karl is getting nervous and Sess is starting to look like he's winning.

Pan says, "I sense he is reaching the point where he wants to flee..."

So... Karl books it! ....right for Jamie's traps.

Zerry widens her eyes. "It's running... I must... chase..." and ZOOM! Zerry takes off, chasing Karl. "Aaaaaaahhhh!!!! RunningRunningRunningRunning!"

It's right then that May appears right next to Meiou. "Hi, Chirpy. Hi, cool rabbit."

"Oh good," Jamie said as she flipped a finger, arming all the traps, "here comes my...ZERRY!"

At the same time, these two scenes happened:

One:  Zerry books over toward the hallway Karl is going through, only to be broadsided by a spring-loaded glove that shoved her into a just opened pit full of foam balls.  It didn't hurt anything save for her pride, since it only knocks her into the pit.

Two:  A spring-loaded dark sends a trip wire across the hallway, just for Karl to trip it.  When he did, a swinging log smacked him on the back of the head as a ball of marbles ripped open to spill its contents into the floor.  At the end of the hallway, another dunce cap big enough to cover his entire head dropped down waiting for him.

  Today Tark learned Zerry is part dog?  "I'm going to punch anyone who questions my decision to help Zerry first."

  But then, it's a ball pit. Zerry might want to stay down there.  Tark still feels it best to head over to check on the girl though.

You know normally someone popping out of the aether into existence would startle someone but in this case when you normally work for a magician thief rabbit welllll you get used to them popping in on you out of nowhere when you least expect it. He raises a brow at this new comer before returning his attention back to chirpy. " So chirpy you see that nice lady with all the traps. I think she wants a few words with you. I'm sure she would just love to pick your brain."   Zerry wasn't so much part dog as a typical child chasing after the current thing that held her interest.

Not the tear-jerking "child's hero turns out to be a cheat" scene Pyrus was hoping for, but he can't help himself and bursts out laughing!

"Looks like the coward fell into the same dunce trap the fool did earlier!" he bellows between his laughing, hoping the crowd will laugh at Karl's comic attempt at escape as well.

"Not very likely that Karl will be getting away any time soon, but just to be sure, I'm going to see to it that answers for his sudden lack of spine."

With a dramatic point of his finger, Pyrus summons an adorable magma elemental next to Karl:  (( This girl: http://tinyurl.com/ybuxza3n only with a more magma-ish color scheme:  http://orig09.deviantart.net/4...asparrow-d7i75fi.jpg ))

She grabs Karl's ankles and sinks them into the ground halfway up to his knees.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:51, Fri 11 Aug 2017.

When Zerry springs the Jamie-trap, she yells, "WHEEEeeee!"

Chirpy sighs and answers Meiou with "Tweet."

May stares at Chirpy. Then looks at Meiou. "Is that mage-code for something?"

When Tark gets to the ball-pit, he can see four horse legs sticking out of the balls and perpetually wiggling/kicking like a panicked insect on its back.

Meanwhile, Karl is groaning from being hit in the back of his head. He looks and sees the random elemental child and stares for a few seconds before just conking out and going unconscious.

At first, Jamie was worried over Zerry, but then she realizes that the centaur, being the way she is, wasn't hurt in anyway, or even embarrassed.  'I think I'm really going to like her,' she thinks as she turned her attention to her prize.

She snapped her fingers, causing all the traps to disarm themselves for now, and as she lifts the dunce cap back into position, she used mage hand to whisk all the marbles away, lest they trip a villager.

She then knelt over to the unconscious Karl, her lips stretching into a mischievous grin.  She pulled out a rope and proceeded to hog-tie Karl so that his arms are behind his back, and his legs together and bound ankles to hips.  With a gag over his mouth and a blindfold over his eyes, she summons a Tenser's Floating Disk to carry him away.

"I got Karl," Jamie said, using Message to the others.  "All nice and packaged up.  What you want me to do to him?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:54, Sat 26 Aug 2017.

  Okay, well then Tark will give the flailing horse girl a minute to enjoy herself/settle down.  He is slightly less likely to be accidentally kicked in the face that way.

  At the message, Tark is about to respond but then remembers that spell is one way.

  So he just walks over to say it to Jamie.  "Presumably, let Sess taunt him in public further."

Well it was good to know Jamie got the other guy. He focused on his connection to her asking "What do you wanna do with this chirpy fella. I'm not good with magic users. I've got him for now but I don't know how long my sword to the back will keep him quiet. "

After collecting himself, Pyrus shrugs in response to May's question.  He tosses a coil of rope in the direction of Chirpy and answers Meiou.

"Let's let May have the honors of tying up the rascal mage.  As for what we're going to do with them, I believe Tark has an excellent suggestion.  Our mission was simply to expose Karl and Chirpy's deception.  More than that is all gravy."

To Sess he smiles.  "I trust we have lived up to your expectations?"

Sess slowly looks over to Pyrus with a wiiiide grin. "Yes."

May ties up Chirpy!

Fast-forward time! Soon, the whole town is in on the ordeal. Nobody likes being lied to and nobody likes a cheater, so Karl does wind up with rotten veggies thrown at him in addition to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sess.

A celebration is had at Karl's expense (both literally and figuratively... his money pouch is used to pay for drinks and such).

A pair of centaurs come walking into town and rush to Zerry! The li'l centaur is now reunited with her parents! :D They, of course, thank the heroes profusely for watching over their daughter.

In reply to Zerry (msg # 253):

After putting everything back to where they're from, Jamie was all too happy to accept the adulations of the crowd, as well as the coin she got from selling her spare brew.

And after a hug and a good luck kiss for the Centaur ("You don't be a stranger to me, dearie.") She returns to town.

Meanwhile, a black-furred rabbit and a mouse overlooked the village from the mountains.  The mouse had on traveling clothes and a Handy Haversack, which failed to contain the cuff of a Jester's Motley in it.  "I don't know about you, Angel," he said, "but I don't think that frost giant'll hurt anyone intentionally.  Too bad she hasn't reached the level of cooked foods yet."

Edit:  Got the town name mixed up.  Made the correction.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:05, Wed 18 Oct 2017.

  Wait, wait… Zerry didn't spring fully formed from rock candy mountain as the avatar of excitable jitters?  This changes everything, and raises so many questions.

  "Zerry is a wonderful girl, and I hope life treats her well." The practical part of Tark is glad they won't have to keep her away from harm with how dangerous adventuring is.  But he will still miss the honest girl.

  "Pyrus, remind me to think of her next time I'm wondering why I bother."

OOC: I had half that earlier post sitting around all day, such is Murphy law circumstances change up while I'm uploading it. But preferable to the alternative dejavu scenario.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Wed 18 Oct 2017.

The rabbit wasn't sure what to make of zerry leaving but shivered nonetheless it just felt like something was coming that would change things.

Pyrus is pleased that his customer is satisfied.  He's sure to give Zerry a fond farewell before she leaves.  And thanks May for lending a hand.  He gives a nod to Tark.

"Challenge question.  Why did you bother before meeting Zerry?"

Pyrus learned long ago that most people would rather not warm themselves over magma, so he doesn't offer to help Meiou with his shivers.

Upon spotting Angel and Johnny he waves. Something familiar about that lady.  She reminds me of her.

Angel waves back to Pyrus as she answers JB. "I think the child adorable, honestly. Hmm... looks like we have been spotted by friendly people who match the description given to us back at that victory meal. Let's not be strangers."

Angel begins heading down the hill towards the other adventurers.

In reply to Angel Bard (msg # 258):

"Would I ever?" Johnny said, winking as he bounded his way down the hill, hopping over any tree branch and rock that was in his way.

Meanwhile, Jamie wondered what Pyrus was waving to, so she took a look far into the hills.

And saw him.

"Goddess!" she muttered, "Briz!"

  Tark answers Pyrus, "To keep myself fed without dying, crime, or pointlessly indebting myself to someone."  Meiou is certainly a reminder why to avoid that last one, no matter how much certain people claim they have his best interests in mind.  "Sounds simple, but it seems honest work has it in for my family."

  He looks to where Pyrus is pointedly waving, and then learns that apparently... Wait this planned joke falls flat because Johnny isn't dressed like a clown. False alarm about hat envy between jesters and witches.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:37, Mon 23 Oct 2017.

He didn't know who everyone seemed to be acknowledging and wasn't that interested. Despite his shivers he stretched out some the light glittering off of his bracelet as he did.

Pyrus raises an eyebrow from Jamie’s quiet exclamation.

“I’ve only heard that name once, and it was used as a curse on the lips of one of the villains I was hunting.  What was it he said?  Something like, ‘You’re almost as annoying as Briz!’ I think.”

He nods to Tark.  “Well from my perspective, you seem to be doing an excellent job.  I would be happy to continue to find mutually profitable work for us should I remain fortunate enough to keep your company.”

Pyrus then looks back to Jamie and Meiou and adds, “The same invitation is extended to you as well.”
This message was last edited by the player at 00:10, Thu 02 Nov 2017.

With the wagon parked nearby, Angel casually makes her way down behind JB. She doesn't seem as enthusiastic as JB, but then that mouse tends to be an active one (Wait'll he meets Zerry. Hoo boy).

She spots Meiou and pauses a moment... but continues to walk to the group rather than run. She recognizes Meiou, but also notices he doesn't recognize or even acknowledge her. This could mean one of three things: 1) He has lost his memory or 2) He is showing a profound lack of attentiveness, or 3) He just happens to LOOK like Meiou but is not actually Meiou.

Once at the group, Angel lets JB do the introductions for her.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Thu 02 Nov 2017.