In reply to Angel Bard (msg # 263):

"Thank you thank you thank you," Johnny says as he waves his arm, "You're far too kind.  My name's Johnny Briz, Jester extraordinaire...and yes, yes, I'm not dressed for the role, I know that.  You have no idea what you have to do to launder that thing."  He then stepped to one side, surprising Angel who just got revealed into view.  "And here is my partner, the beloved Angel Bard.  My partner in crime, my better half, and even a budding royal once she gets her own kingdom.  Give her time, she will."

He then put his hand over his forehead, as if looking for something. "We were out and about looking for a certain rascally rabbit when we received word that he's here.  I...KACHEW!!"

Johnny sneezed.

He paused, rubbed his nose, and scanned around.  "Ooooo, looks like my reputation precedes me.  I wonder who might be talking smack....looks like..."

As he said that, he produced a ball of light in his hand.  He looked around some more then.

"There you are!"

He threw it into a corner, where it exploded in confetti and streamers, accompanied by a scream.

Jamie Wisdomtouch slowly walked out of the corner she was in, soot covering her eyes.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Black Forest Troublemaker, how's life.  Turned some dudebro into a Romeo anyway?"

Jamie was growling.  "Johnny Briiiiiiiiz."

"Probably already did your new warlock already, if I heard the rumors right."

"Like you're the one to talk, last time I heard about you, you were wrapped around the finger of your own rabbit!"  Jamie pointed to Angel.  "And ma'am I do hope that you keep this big-eared hell-raiser on a short leash!"

"Getting personal here, why don't'cha?  I'm surprised you haven't burnt all of Germainia down yet."

Everybody in the room would think that the pair knows each other.  And it looks like Jamie didn't like the last time she met that mouse who smiled like the proverbial cat.  If the witch was casting any spells on Johnny by the look on Jamie's expression, JB isn't showing any effects.

"Ain't'cha supposed to be playing anything in order to do Countercharm, rodent?"

The rabbit hearing the fighting between Jamie and Johnny wasted no time slipping behind the mouse and lifting his coin purse all in the course of just walking by. Unless you were really paying attention you wouldn't notice his quick handy work. He was already walking off as Jamie heard in her head As the old saying goes "A fool and his money are soon parted" he chuckled one might think it the sun or some other light source that flared up briefly around the rabbit before dying down as he deposited it in his bracelet.

  "Thanks Pyrus, the age old condition of 'nothing better to do' could do worse than staying on."

  Tark is not sure if he's going to grow to dislike Johnny, or take spiteful amusement at treating Jamie like Jamie treats everyone else.

  Probably the third option, wish he was less petty himself. The curse of being a Half-orc with a positive Charisma modifier means a higher self awareness of your manners.

  "Johnny, while I'm sure she's long overdue many jokes at her expense.  Please stop throwing pyrotechnics or otherwise messy shenanigans at a traveling acquaintance of mine." At least the Warlock can do their own instant laundry… Wait Tark forgets if she knows prestidigitation, cantrip so powerful even a wish spell can't grant it, or not.

  In the usual case of 'you notice because you don't care', Tark notices Meiou's pilfering but will not, in fact, make a thing of it.  At most he will later attempt to caution his bunny buddy to be careful in case it's somehow filled with mousetraps that haven't set themselves off or something.

Pyrus was all set to be all polite introductions and stuff when slapstick happens.  Which, if this were the kind of setting that didn't include silliness like centaur child slipping into a ball pit, would have offended Pyrus' loyalty to his new friend Jamie.  But this is not that sort of setting.  This is the kind of setting that does include such things on the regular, so instead he takes it in stride and figures Jamie can fight her own battles.

"I'm sure if Jamie needs us to intervene, she'll let us know," Pyrus asserts, "Pleasure to meet you, Angel.  My name is Pyrus.  This is Tark.  Jamie.  And... not sure where Meiou disappeared to."

Angel says, "I'm happy to have met you bunch, although I already know Meiou; we grew up in the same town... please stop ignoring me, Meiou. It's rude even if I was a stranger, which I'm not."

She looks at JB and then Jamie. "Very well." And looks at JB again. In a confused "why did you do that?" tone, Angel says, "Johnny... I don't know why you are acting this way to this woman, but please be nicer... didn't you tell me your goal is to make people smile? She isn't smiling." Angel is saying this just as much for JB's sake as anything. But the half-pleading look in her eyes makes that much clear to JB.

Angel then looks at Jamie. "Jamie, I'm unsure if you know, but using the term rodent in that way is offensive. Not just to Johnny here, but to me as well."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:42, Fri 03 Nov 2017.

"Oh, you don't know about Jamie Wintertouch, Angel," Johnny said looking at Angel's concerned expression. "She's even worse of a Prankster than I can ever be."  He then looked around, to see that some of the people in the background producing a combination of gasps and some laughter, he could tell that the joke bombed a little.  "Humph.  Some loss in translation here.  Best back off on her for now."

He turned back to Jamie. "Don't think for a moment that I didn't sense Meiou snatch that pouch behind my back.  Proves that he's got amnesia 'cause if he hasn't he'd know for a fact that I'd never put anything valuable in my back pockets."

At that Jamie's face dropped a little.  "What did you put in that pouch?"

At that moment, where Meiou was at, there was a flash coming from his bracelet, at the exact moment he put the sack in.

the rabbit cringed and squirmed as the flash faded revealing the six year old human girl in a bright pink dress looking none to happy. she hated magical pranks. seriously they took all the fun out of stealing. "Look I don't know who you are bunny lady but I don't know you or this town you say I grew up in. "

  What, an explosive joke bombed?  Someone is dying of a wordplay induced heart attack right now.

  Tark also see's he was wrong about his assumption of something as mundane as bruised fingers rather than the growing trend of magical grandstanding for the slightest offense.

  "I'd figure you'd have been used to that by now hanging out with Jamie, Meiou." Of course, since the rabbit is allowed to so much as express his annoyance... This is actually better than what Jamie's arrangment does to him on a regular basis.

  Tark wishes his sympathy for the thief wasn't so often based on realizations such as that.  "Still, try to get around being treated as a proxy for Jamie and Johnny's little pissing contest, and listen to Angel.  Whether or not what she has to say is true, at least she seems concerned."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:03, Mon 06 Nov 2017.

Pyrus raises an eyebrow at this latest development.  He's glad this latest bit of magical pranking is apparently harmless, but is worried for Meiou's loss of memory.  But smoothing things out enough to be less adversarial seems to still be necessary.

"'More a prankster than he could ever be?'  That's some high praise, Jamie.  But now we've got two people claiming Meiou should be familiar with them, and I see that you're very familiar with Mr. Briz.  Let's put our heads together and look into this amnesia for Meiou's sake.

"Meiou, how far back can you remember clearly?  Can you recall where you did grow up?"

Angel has one of those "trying not to laugh" expressions on her face as she sees Meiou is now a human girl. She has no idea this has anything to do with the bracelet, but it wasn't lost on her that the bracelet was the only thing unchanged. So her smile turns into a ponderous expression. Angel looks at Tark. "Thank you."

She then looks at Pyrus, "Let's try this again. I'm Angel Bard. I'm relatively new to adventuring, but am quite skilled at marksmanship, so I assure you I would be useful. I came here to meet you bunch specifically. I heard about you from the neighboring town. What's more, I started adventuring to find this guy." she points at Meiou to indicate who she means.

"Meiou is a childhood friend of mine who disappeared about three years ago." She holds up some letters. "I even have the last few letters Meiou wrote me."

She looks at Meiou. "If it were me, and I were missing memories, I would want to know. But that's just me and I'm not you. I am glad you are alive, at least."

Angel then looks at everyone she just met. "So who is in charge of your group?"

Jamie was just about to throttle that grinning mouse Jester--who was chuckling at Angel when he saw her expression; shades of what he made her do--when she heard what Meiou said.  As she slowly set Johnny down, she says, "Amnesia, eh?  I don't know who caused it, dearie, but I have a way to circumvent that."

Johnny just brushed away what the witch left on his new tunic with some elaborate swipes.  "Malfesience notwithstanding, maybe you can help us out, however, it might not be something that should be said in public."

That makes wheels turn in Jamie's head, followed by a knowing smile.  She glances over to Angel and she thinks that maybe she could get to know her a little bit more.  Something about her has an air of regalness.  And she might need to be present for what she intends to do with Meiou.

Or rather, what she'll do with another part of Meiou.

"After a while, Angel, is it?" Jamie said, "let's meet together in my wagon outside of this village.  We've got a lot to discuss.  And oh yeah," Jamie rolls her eyes, "You can bring your boyfriend too."

"I'm not sure that we're at that point in our relationship yet," Johnny said, protesting before Angel can do the same.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:02, Tue 07 Nov 2017.

The girl sighed grumbling mentally at his appearance "The earliest thing i remember was waking up on a floor of some kind with Pip poking at me. He wasn't exactly thrilled carrying me out"

  People who hang back and shoot mean, in theory, less work keeping them safe.  So that's a plus for tagalongs.  It's also probably an unfortunately short list for anyone who could say they are glad Meiou is alive with a straight face and lack of apparent sarcasm.  So that certainly helps Angel's credibility.

  "Nobody in particular is in charge. A method I have found to be surprisingly effective at weeding out those with no idea how to wing it." Or maybe it was just that one guy spending all day complaining to every passerby he was no longer immortal, like his Draconian pen pal wrote about.

"I've heard of Pip.  Probably a nasty character considering the name was always used as a threat on the lips of lowly criminals.  'Pip's gunna get you for this!' and the like."

He nods to Tark then looks to Angel.  "We haven't yet found a need to formalize a hierarchy for our group, but there's no question that I'm the one in charge of the kobolds."

To Meiou he asks, "About how long ago was that, Meiou?"

Pyrus would also ask if he ever found out the nearest town to where was he was found, but he's expecting the question will get lost by the the time everyone else has something to say.

Angel nods as she takes in the various comments. "Pip is a powerful criminal, yes." But Meiou here being alive tells Angel one of two things: either Pip has found ways for Meiou to be useful to him, or Meiou is in big trouble.

Angel looks at Jamie and says, "Perhaps after we've all earned a bit more trust. Let's go get a bite to eat and fill eachother in on our adventures."

Tark mentioning that nobody is in charge is good news to Angel. It means that in general, nobody will presume to tell Angel what to do.

"Of course, and if you excuse me..."

Jamie pulls off the child's head, revealing Meiou under the costume.

"Meiou dear," she said, "Go find Sarah and tell her to get the room prepared for us."  Jamie's voice had a serious tone, and her face had a bit of worry about her warlock.

She then stood up and said to Angel, "I think I have some things that might help you in your quest, dearie.  I'll look for it in my wagon and if I have it, I'll bring it to our meeting."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:56, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

The rabbit holds his head in frustration and abit of anger at how
everyone was talking of pip. "Is he a rogue who can manipulate people and things to his advantage? sure but that's part of being a rogue. mind you i don't charm people into doing my dirty work. I do it myself. Is he bad? Hes a bad influence and tricky. Speaking honestly here yes i've had many bad experiences with him but I just think it wasn't anything I wouldn't of done had I still had my memories. I mean he never made me into one of his magical girls. You have to understand he may of done some bad stuff but he also took me in helped me get back on my feet literally and figuratively. Hells bells if not for him i could be dead i don't know how many times over or worse! I don't know i'd be here if not for him. I'm not trying to defend what he does just trying to point out hes not all bad.

"He took a breathe and looked to Pyrus I don't know really. Firstly wasn't really keeping track of time when being reschooled and then I was rather busy working."

Finally to angel " Maybe he is but then again so am I. Not to the same degree mind you. Just I think i've seen a side few get to see of him. "

it seemed sarah was ignoring orders and letting her counter part speak his mind.She didn't like it and knew jamie would be upset but these people wanted to talk to him and it was only good manners to not interupt.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:43, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

  "Yeah, no. Not happening Jamie. Meiou is staying right here, and Sarah is staying out of the picture.  If the squirrel shows up before any proper conversation, let alone explanations, I'm going to have to shove your head through your wagon wheels and take a drive down the road, or some other outlandish thing."  Well, that covers Meiou blindly obeying orders and running off to transform as well then.

  "Maybe you think you're trying to be some kind of helpful storybook witch, but it really comes across hard that you have no idea how to act without expecting anything but just going along with you out of either fear, or feeling it's not worth the trouble.  But hey, just maybe, even if you'll probably turn me to stone and everyone will smile and nod when you tell them I deserved it lest you do the same to them?  I think Meiou is probably worth the trouble calling you out.

  He turns back to Meiou, and says "So. Meiou.  How many friends do you currently remember having, that don't spend a lot of the time jerking you around for their own whims and amusement while claiming they are your friend while holding debt and magic over your head?  I hardly know you, and I'm offended enough to go 'remember that 2,000 gold debt you owed?"

  Tark pulls out a bag of gold, full of what he was saving for surprisingly expensive plate armor with some extra.  He dumps it on the ground.  "There, two thousand and a bit extra.  Debt paid on his behalf, no strings involved."

OOC: Even with the latest edit from Meiou talking about how "Oh, Pip wasn't THAT bad, because he didn't to horrible things to me that he does to other people!", turns out I don't need to re-edit my Tark post.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:51, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

Hitting pause in the game right now. I'm going to have to rework Jamie's entry.   I didn't count on Tark's response.  My bad.

Okay, I changed my post with Jamie's response.  Meiou and Tark can make their changes.

Okay, Catastrophe Adverted.  Let's move on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:52, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

There's a side of Pyrus that is rather encouraged by Meiou defending Pip.  Considering that magma dragons are reviled as harbingers of the apocalypse, and maybe they are mostly engines of civilization-ending devastation, but darn it if it isn't wonderful that it actually matters if you're willing to help a guy!

But he is still a dragon.  When 2,000 gold shows it's beautiful self, Pyrus' eyes go wide, and they sparkle.  He stares at it for half a moment, collecting his thought.  (Yes.  Just one thought.  https://img00.deviantart.net/0...ull_by_kaykaykit.jpg )

Pyrus low whistles.  "Now that's a lot of gold there.  How extremely noble of you, Tark.  But since we're making open threats, I suppose I'll make one of my own.  If anyone but Meiou takes that gold, they'll soon discover why dragon fire is the stuff of legend."

Realizing that two present weren't already made aware, he bashfully tells Angel and Briz, "I'm a dragon, by the way."

If Meiou's too proud to accept the gold, does that mean it's up for grabs?  Get a hold of yourself, Pyrus.  That would be rude...  Mine?

Pyrus offers Tark a pair of mirror sunglasses.  "These help with resisting petrification."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

Angel raises an eyebrow at Pyrus for claiming to be a dragon.

In a tone that almost sounds like a slow-clapping villain giving a monologue, Angel says, "Everyone standing up for everyone. It would be more touching if there were not so many threats going around."

She looks at Jamie and says in a matter-of-fact tone, "Don't get me wrong, Jamie, I do appreciate your offer, but from now on, wherever Meiou goes, I go. I didn't come all this way to have him whisked away... no offense, ma'am. Just that I don't know you yet. Though I would like to get to know all of you. So let's just all go together to the local eatery."

Angel looks at Meiou. "If what you say is true, then you won't mind if I go with all your new friends to talk to Pip myself some day. Because if he did save your life, I'd like to thank him in person."

Angel comments to JB, "It looked cordial enough at first... complete with people claiming these are heroes. But it looks like an awfully dangerous situation. If dragon's breathe, Jamie's magic, or a furious half-orc sound too dangerous for you, I will not force you to come with me. But I will also miss your company."

Johnny just smiles at Angel.  "Just when this adventure was about to be interesting?  No way I'm skipping this part.  Besides, I've yet to see you acquiring your own kingdom."  And then in his usual flair, he offers Angel his arm.

Jamie had to smirk as she saw her initial plan go awry.  Sometimes these happen, especially when she forgets the reputation she gets at times, with her being, as some would say, a Storybook Witch.  "I still have something that would be of your interest, once you deal with this Pippkin lout.  I'll go get it and return to you."

Jamie then tsk-tsks at Johnny being a gentlemouse toward Angel.  She barely mutters, "Those two'd make quite a couple."

Behind Angel's back, Johnny glanced back at Jamie with a "Knock it off" expression.

Before Jamie left he snatched the mask and said the key phrase the guise
vanishing and him being left as he normally was. From there he flopped
onto the ground and sat there looking at the gold. On the one hand he
wouldn't owe pip anything more but on the other it was one thing to steal
things but to be given it was another. He wasn't sure he felt he could take it
even if Tark wanted him to really have it. He appreciated someone else looking out
though he still wasn't sure what to make of it. He sat there looking at it some
more while musing over the questions.

"other than you all?" As he was about to speak further he
winced and grabbed his head like something was hurting him. After a moment
he returned to normal and looked at Tark "What?" he looked to the coins
and seemed to look confused on why there was so much gold on the ground
almost like he didn't remember Tark dropping it.
"Did we rob a gold shipment or something?"

  Tark's lapse of manners may have a (To him) reasonable excuse, but that does leave it a lapse of manners all the same.  "I suppose the fact I'm not usually so shouty is as believable as Pyrus's claims of dragonhood about now." at least, to someone who has just shown up.  Speaking of Pyrus, he accepts the offered sunglasses.

  "It's a lot easier to save up cash from when not only is it legitimate work, you lead a boring lifestyle between jobs." You also get to undercut trail guides when you're better at foraging food and water for several people and finding your way through the most unforgiving wilderness than most Druids. "I've been robbed a few times, but I think over the years I've made more than that back from less successful attempts to do so." And after years of no offended guild masters, no angry corrupt officials, no shadowy overlords vowing to avenge this slight, or so on. Tark expects no thief or crooked guard wanted to admit they were out-smarted by a single half-orc doing his best impression of the times he did get robbed like an ignorant newbie.

  He sighs at the obvious signs of mental shenanigans, and kneels down by the amnesiac bunny.  "While I could have been far more tactful about it-" Regrets of not being so are rather minuscule however "The general idea is that overpriced armor that isn't even magical can wait, compared to having one less thing to watch you get jerked around over while hearing how you should be thankful for it."

OOC: Due to the screwed up economy slanted towards faux hardcore GMs barging into art threads asking what half-plate looks like to declare "I don't just HAND OUT Full-plate to my players!"   Tark is still rather well off.

After all, magical +1 splint mail is literally 1,000 - 1,399 gold cheaper than Mundane plate. It would still be cheaper even if you included the full price of the mundane armor on TOP of the magic item cost. But nobody brags about withholding +1 Not Plate.

Yeah it's a freeform thread, but poking fun at game mechanics and the skewed mindsets around them is forever.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:03, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

Pyrus's only surprise that his claims to dragonhood only got a raised eyebrow is in the fact that most times people take him for a loonie when he makes such claims.  Shucks, he hasn't even flaunted his magic in this scene.  Not that he feels a need to.  Nor prove that his claim is true.

He smiles to Angel like a parent who's child caught him sneaking a cookie.  "My apologies.  It was an empty threat.  I have every confidence that whomever tried to steal Meiou's gold would be beaten senseless, transformed into a helpless creature, and turned to stone before I could so much as lift a finger.  What's this about acquiring a kingdom?"

To Jamie he objects with a pouty look, "Togetherness, Jamie.  Please.  How am I supposed to gallantly defend you, or you defend the rest of us, if you disappear?  We can all go to where this thing you want to retrieve is together."

He furrows his brow in concern for Meiou.  "In other words, that gold was given to you freely by Tark just now to purchase your freedom.  But then you had another memory lapse."

At least Meiou still remembers everyone present...  Right?  Pyrus dismisses the thought that Pip or Jamie put Meiou under a magical curse.  The clues don't add up.  But if this is due to a medical problem, that means Pyrus is fantastically unqualified to help - a thought he's not happy to entertain.

With a nonchalant wave of his hand, the gold collects itself into a sack for Meiou's convenience, then Pyrus heads in the direction Jamie does.