A.M.P.E.-Experiment in Terror

[Rufus the Mad]

Orin felt a wave of soft concern as he looked to his host once more, amused by her assumptions, true enough, but troubled nonetheless by her clear distress. ”I would ne’er seek to impinge on your good nature, sweet Gwen…” he said quietly, tucking his knuckle beneath her taunt chin and lifting her face to his view once more ”I would rather gain things by my own means, my own craft if need be, than to force such servitude on one such as yourself. ‘Tis not my way to look to others… to rely on their kindness, their duty when there is a need. I was, after all, birthed to the world with an able body and a quick mind, was I not?” He allowed his fingers to unfold then, tracing along the base of her jaw as he said ”Nay, maid. I ask nothing of thee, only that ye allow me the comfort your soft presence brings.”

“I care not for the unsettled indifference of others, fair one, nor for whatever shortcomings of character they may suffer. I would only know if, perchance, you find my own companionship to be worthy of continuance. There are… ways” he said with a flip of his chocolaty forelock ”To veil your presence from the eyes of others, should your wish it… I could do such a thing, and I could teach you to as well in time.” A sudden grin split his brown face, and an impish light flickered in the depths of his amber eyes. Yes… were they but Human, had they no training, no strange accountabilities… he could hide their entire “city” from sight. He could play tricks with their minds, could spin their experiences in any manner he wished. He had the skill, he had the ability… The fire glowed fierce and bright for a moment more, and then faded till only the dimmest glimmer could be seen. He could do this… but it was not his way.

His had always been the road of tranquility, of peace and friendship if at all possible. Let others of his get be seen as tricksters, as the reason to fear the darkness. He, for want of all, was more content to find the smile where none had lived before, and to bring again the light of joy to a saddened face… as he saw now on the visage of his companion. With a wink at her slight befuddlement, Orin sang now, his voice soft, the wordless tune seeming to fold about him even as he uttered it, his tones warbling across the scales in his rich baritone, and seemed to pull bits of reality, tiny motes of power about him. Soon enough, to the naked eye at least, Orin the Satyr sat there no longer, but instead only an approximation. Gone were the hooves and wooly legs, replaced by the strong thews of an athletic man, gone too were the small curving horns that had stood so gracefully from his forehead, leaving only the smooth tanned expanse that one would expect to see of a normal man. In all ways, great and small, Orin appeared now every bit as human as those that waited on the shore… save than they would more than likely bear clothing as well.

He had borne no cloth, no cloak or shawl when he had been whisked from his homeland, and bore none now. He seemed singularly nonplussed by his naked state, however, simply smiling at the pale face of his companion as they slipped closer and closer to the nearing shore. At length, however, he reached forward and plucked a few leaves from the deck between them. ”By my own hand, sweet Gwen…” he said as he began singing again quietly. Calling forth his skill once more, the Bard whispered words of power to the leaves he held, coaxing them to grow, to weave together, until he held in his hands not the bundle of quickly drying foliage, but a soft and supple short tunic, much like those worn along the coasts of the mainland. After all, were they not coming to a beach? There was no belt, true enough, but t’would serve well until he had the time for a better creation.

The strain of the manipulations had worn on him, however, and t’was with a winded visage and stiff limbs that he wound the garment around his lithe frame. ”This illusion should o’ercome most scrutiny, though should someone feel the need to press against my flesh, they will soon discover the difference!” He grinned and tapped his hoof, which looked all the while like a normal foot, against the shifting hull beneath him, letting the loud sound of the contact make its own statement as he looked into Gwen’s sanguine eyes. ”Tis fitting fair that my new garment lies open beyond the hips, else mine own design might suffer for such constraint!”

He looked now to the growing city, wondering what might have prompted humanity to build such structures, and pointedly making no more mention of her decision to stay with him or not. He had showed her that his skills could protect her from view, could save her from being forced to leave if such was not her wish… she had only to say the word and the spell would be cast. Tired as he was, the thought of encountering these strangers without her beside him struck cold in the depths of his stomach. No, she would make her own choice, were that allowed, and he would abide… but he didn’t have to like it.

He ran her words through his mind again, trying to pick some meaning from the unfamiliar panorama of her response. This Beth, whom he hoped would be amiable to his somewhat different nature, came from a time almost two thousand years ahead of his, and from the looks of things, from a mindset totally diametric from his own. Where his realm, if he could call it that, had been filled with abundant nature, with mere scatterings of architecture, this was near to exactly the opposite, with vast swaths of construction seeded with the thinnest veneer of nature. In a sudden sense of apprehension, the Fey Minstrel reached out for the core of magic that surrounded him, fearing again being cut off from his strength as he had been when he awoke… But instead of experiencing that yawning sense of loss, instead of tripping along that dark spiral of separation and denial, he found the sight of the buildings, of the water, sand, and visible greenery to all bear that now-familiar golden hue… In short, he was not separate from the element of nature that so held sway over his spirit… for she was everywhere…

My, what a sobering thought… he mused, turning again to look at his silent companion with a new air of appreciation. One that led to some rather interesting ideologies indeed…

 

[VandalHeart]

Gwen thought about this for a moment. She wasn't sure his energy manipulation would even work on her, let alone whether or not it was necessary. She could monitor everything that happened within her sphere of influence, whether or not her rendering was present. She preferred it, since she could not experience the sensations of biological feedback without it, but the situation that caused her to leave in the first place was still an issue. She thought long and hard about it. She weighed the descision carefully. She hesitated a very long time and devoted as much of herself to all the possibilities that she could imagine. The risk. The setbacks. The aspect of interaction that it would offer. She wasn't quite sure how to make her rendering transparent without his magicks. She then thought long and hard about how to do that, if she needed to. Maybe to save him the trouble. The calculations were horrendous. She began to try to come up with a method to do it herself, but motion and the reactions she would cause in her envorinment would become too much of a problem. She could levitate herself, but that would put an incredible strain on her processors and energy projectors. She may have to devote extra processing and projection to this task, and if any requests were made by Beth, things would get very sticky, indeed. She calculated and abandoned possibility after possibility. She was wasting an incredible ammount of time. At least, she was by her standards. So she decided to stop.

Nearly a full second after Orin mentioned the wonderous functionality of his new garment, she gave up trying to figure this out and said...

"I would appreciate that offer quite a bit. Could you glamour me against their vision, please?"

 

[Rufus the Mad]

Orin felt a weight lift from him at her words. She would stay at his side, would remain with him! He knew better than to simply assume she did so without reasons of her own, but was glad of her choice nonetheless, and cared not if his reactions were unseemly for one so recently met. With a glad heart, and a telling smile, the disguised Fey took his precious instrument in hand once more, and prepared to bring the reed to his waiting lips. He had no time to form his magics by the sound of his voice, had not the strength either, truth be told, but with the added focus of the flute, he should have little difficulties. ”There are but a few things to bear in mind, dearest Gwen.” he said cryptically, his fingers finding a familiar home across the carefully cut holes along the length of the instrument, ”I will render you invisible to all save myself, or so I propose, but should anyone touch you, or should you speak… or, Gods forefend, feel the need to strike someone, the mirage will shatter, and all shall see you…”

He tilted his head then, letting her assimilate the practicality of his proposal as he reached for the power that lay behind the reality that surrounded them. With a flick of his curly brows, he brought the precious implement to proper position then, and let the first notes of the melody lilt through the air. Even with the added focus of the tool he held, there was still a strain on the Bard as he attempted yet another casting in so short a time. The tune suffered no ill effects, however, and he watched with eyes tuned to track the mystic weave as motes of power closed on his intended target. He had thought perhaps to alter her, as he had done to himself, but knew not if he could affect so powerful a creature without more time. No, simple invisibility would serve better, merely shielding her from view, as opposed to trying to augment her appearance.

Soon, even as the prow of their small craft touched the golden sand of that strange beach, the face and form of his erstwhile companion faded from casual view, leaving only an echo of her visage for his eyes to catch, and seeming to be, in all ways, vacant from her position to all others. He lowered the flute at last, his skin a bit paler ‘neath the tan he had accrued, and he heaved a long, deep sigh as he gathered himself. He wrinkled his nose as her specter then, and hopped lightly from the craft, landing lightly in that coarse sand. With no other word to her, no move or action that would betray her presence, he then began walking the slight distance that separated the two of them from the distant couple. T’would be an entertainment, surely, to meet others that had met their end at the summons of whomever had created this place… an entertainment, and some measure of closure… At least one could so hope.

 

[Elayne]

Eve looked at Ben for a long moment. She sensed an oddity in him, but she decided that the best thing to do was to escape this room and explore the facility for now.

"Ben, open the door please," she requested, tapping on the door.

She was eager to explore the infamous Gwen unit and see what transportation suitable to her skills she had available... and meet the other containees.

 

[VandalHeart]

When Orin wrinkled his nose at her, she smiled, but suppressed a giggle. It was hard to read the energy field he had created around her. Something was very strange about it. Perhaps because it was interwoven with her rendering. She would need to do more data collection. Until then, Gwen would enjoy her shared lie with Orin. Silently, she stepped from the craft into the water opposite from the shore, testing the reaction the water would have. To Gwen's amazement, the water gave way and allowed for her rendering to sink to the floor of the sea, but the light refused to bend where her presence would cause a change. Gwen began to collect more and more data to see how extensive the "enchantment" covered her influence, using chaos equations to project further and further, trying to see a change that her presence would have caused, and the light still bent in directions that it would have if she weren't there. Her processing capacity approached it's danger limit before she gave up. Her ability to create a variety of different things surpassed his by quite a bit, but his sheer power was so far past her own it bordered on the impossible. The matter projectors that constructed her rendering didn't even come close to strong enough to produce results like this. Within her processors, she allowed herself a "wow" before moving toward the shoreline to rejoin Orin. Whatever happened, this was going to be exciting. She only hoped that she could contain the reactions within her rendering.

Meanwhile...

What passed for Ben's heart sank as he began the processes to open the door. He didn't respond verbally, and his rendering didn't so much as blink. It took more than it should have to contain himself. Now that everyone was out of their quarters, Ben would be running extensive diagnostics and record refinement to figure out why his rendering was affecting his actions. He couldn't retract the rendering if it was requested, and he couldn't change the programming for it unless that was requested as well, but maybe he could anticipate the strange feedback. Maybe.

In the meantime, Eve was experiencing the limited joy of the lift ride down to the G.W.E.N. When she breached the outer shell, she found herself descending on what would drive anyone else mad. Twisted husks of buildings leered in the red sunlight. The ground was littered with sheets and chunks of quick-forged glass where concrete and windows melted and then cooled in mere moments. Bones could be seen almost everywhere in scattershot locations, some painted with seemingly random splotches of gold and silver that refused to evaporate with the cloth and flesh that they once rested upon. Strange new plants were beginning to press their way through the ashpalt and slag, the tenacity of the planet shinig through. Or at least, the planet this was based on. Eve could tell before the lift even settled into the rusty, disembodied elevator shaft that it would masquerade as that this place was fake. She did notice one thing, though. Everything around here was glowing with the same trace energies and chemical residue that her chair had above with Ben. When she stepped out onto the wasteland, she was greeted by a voice that three others already knew.

"This doesn't look like a place you'd like to be, but it is what I have the information for. If you'd like me to change it, I can."

 

[IXIHawkeyeIXI]

He watched her as she spoke, carefully examining what she was doing, what she was saying and how she was saying it. Everything here had seemed so real, just a little off, and he wanted to make sure that this wasn't another impressive mirage.
"Well I don't know what the hell NASA is but there's ships all over the place where I'm from. Christ that sounds strange to say...'Where I'm from' sounds like I'm talkin' about what planet I came from, not what universe." He slowly ran his hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he had.
Moving to the sand, he sat down and ran his hands through it, seeing what it felt like. It was close to sand he had felt yet, like everything else here, it was somehow...off.
He continued to listen as she talked and turned to look at the city behind him.
"To be brutally honest with you, I wasn't that interested in knowing why the hell I was here - I just wanted out. I'm not exactly the number one fan of the government in my...universe...and I since most of the work I do is borderline legal, I just assumed this was a trick by them. I didn't want to ask Gwen cause she's just a cog in this machine, whatever the hell it is. That's why I stay away from civilization - you stay grounded too long, you're just gonna end up under someone's heel, doing everyone else's bidding. Can't be free when you live like that. Up in your own ship you got the freedom to do what you want, when you want, how you want." A strange smile came on to hsi face as he talked about freedom, and his eyes seemed to glaze over a bit.
"As for the last time I saw water like this well....it's hard to say. I guess....about 7 months ago I pulled a job on Sklar, a planet where I'm from. It's a nice "civilized" planet - I was there to do some smuggling - and they had a few beaches. Before the job I let my crew have some down time, I went to the beach for a few minutes but...not really my place of interest."
John continued to run his hand through the sand, looking at the scenery around him. Seeing this world that was so different from his own, he suddenly longed once again to be back on his ship - being in such a strange place made him miss it even more.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Beth

She nodded as he spoke, watching his every movement so intently as if he might pounce. "I want my freedom as well." She barely spoke up enough to be heard over the lapping waves. The sinking feeling wasn't going away, if anything it was growing and almost choking her with tension.

"I asked and I've questioned, but if there is a way out of here, Gwen is not speaking of it." She had hoped that he being male, would have a better grasp of the situation and 'know-how' to get them out of this place. Surely guys were good at this sort of thing?

Her attention was instantly on the beach as the sounds of a boat cutting through sand and water landed on the beach. She moved a little closer towards John, but then remembered she didn't know him any better than she knew the new arrival and moved to put some distance between them.

A man jumped clear of the little boat and began walking towards them, again puzzlement made her brow wrinkle, hadn't Gwen said he was some kind of fairy tale creature? He looked normal to her, well at this distance at least. Not that it mattered, his appearence, but she was very curious as to why he was here? More than likely the same reason John had gone exploring, to find a way home.

As he approached, she tried to smile a friendly welcome, "Hello." Figuring John and the new comer would have more in common to discuss than her, she fell back and sat down to quietly listen to their exchanged introductions.

 

[VandalHeart]

Gwen had the advantage of knowing everything that was said or done within the confines of her control environment, so she knew what John and Beth had said. She wasn't very happy about it, but she was finding it hard to stay mad at them. Beth had marginalized her as just a machine, and John distrusted her. John had more justification, but she didn't appreciate being equated to a gearwheel. Her rendering with the enchantment on it kept pace with Orin but kept a safe distance from him, just in case he got into an altercation. She didn't want to be nudged if that silly male instinct to look good in front of a female set in and mad John or Orin act rashly. Then her enchantment would break, she would be visible, she'd have trouble justifying herself, etc. In any case, she was excited to see how the three of them would interact.

 

[Elayne]

Eve looked around the barren wastelands that looked exactly like... The Barrens.. or the Wastelands. She knew she had been to both places before.

Am I still in my world? she thought to herself, Or are these holograms really that advanced?

She could see the energy that was permeating the environment, exactly the opposite of the dead Barrens. Nor was it the radioactivity of the Wastelands. It seemed that it really was a brilliant, subtle hologram.

Suddenly, a female voice interrupted her reverie. Eve whirled, slightly startled. She felt her adrenilane jolt as her reflexes sharpened, then relaxed as she didn't detect immediate danger. "You must be the Gwen?" Eve asked rheoterically. "I'm Eve," she introduced herself. Ben had told her that Gwen had illogic circuits. Eve thought that would make her even more unpredictable and potential dangerous than Ben.

 

[Rufus the Mad]

The sands ‘neath his feet crunched with a merry tune all their own as Orin crossed the beach to greet these fellow prisoners, and though he liked not the manner or seeming of the surly male, the Satyr knew that there was but one chance to have a first encounter, and he was loath to lose the opportunity. There may come a time in the foreseeable future that they might need what skills and knowledge each might hold… and the Bard was not one to waste tools…

”Well Met!” he said loudly, waving his arm in a gesture of greeting. There were so many things to ask his newly-found companions, yet for the nonce he could think of nothing so pressing as putting these strangers more at ease… ”I surmise from your bewilderment that you both have found yourselves sudden guests, much as I have, yes? Well, as cages go, we would be hard pressed to find one better, nor have I e’er met guards and jailors of sweeter or more caring disposition!” He turned then ever so slightly, giving a ghost of a glance toward the nearly transparent form of Gwen, and covered the move by feigning a slight catch in the gritty sand. He remembered well her trepidation against greeting this pair, and though he knew not what may have transpired afore he made his landing, he felt the need nonetheless to assure her once more, even should it be through such duplicitous means, that she was welcome here as far as was his opinion.

He closed then that last distance between himself and where they stood, and offered his hand in friendship first to the man, then to the woman, smiling warmly all the while and saying ”I am called Orin Therinasi, Minstrel and Bard, weaver of enchantments to delight both the ear and eye.” His handshake to the male human had been, in short, manly, with a well practiced strength and clean, quick control. His approach to the woman, however, was as smooth and charming as could be expected from a Satyr Born. He bowed low over her offered hand, only just grazing the back of it with his soft lips, and as he rose he caught and held her gaze with his own warm amber eyes. Softly then, and seemingly to her alone, he again murmured ”Well met…” before releasing her at last and standing once more. He stared out across the water then, more able to view that shimmering expanse than the gleaming constructs that stood behind them, and waited for their replies while the wind turned his chocolate-hued tresses to Medusa’s locks.

 

[IXIHawkeyeIXI]

John watched the man approaching him and was incredibly amazed by what was happening. He looked for a while at Beth as this newcomer approached and saw that she was almost as speechless as he was. As Orin approached him and began to speak, John was almost instantly lost as to what this stranger person was saying, not understanding almost anything that came out of his mouth. A blank stare was all that was on his face as the man worked his way across the beach.

John was only mildly aware of the fact that his hand was grabbed by the newcomer. After Orin omved over to Beth and appeared to be flirting with her, John shook his head and started to get words back and was able to speak at last.

"Listen stranger, I didn't understand most of what you just said, but I'm guessin' you don't know much more than I do as to what's going on here. You got a strange way about you, and I'm not sure I like that. You use a few too many fancy words...I'm a simple man, that's how I like things. You know anything useful as to what's going on in this prison we're all stuck in?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Beth

She could not help but blush and smile at Orin's introduction. He was very well mannered, for his strange speech. She remembered Gwen saying something about one captive who was dated even before her grandparent's time in Earth years. This must be the .. man? Curious but knowing how rude it would be to ask, she said nothing about it.

"Pleasure is mine, Mr. Therinasi." She watched him look around, studying his features for only a moment before she remembered her manners herself. It was very impolite to stare.

"Listen stranger, I didn't understand most of what you just said.. John finally gathered his senses to question the stranger. Her attention went back to John, studying him a little more closely as well. Now that she was closer to him she could finally make out his features.

He has a point, it is rather hard to understand him. Not that she cared, he still sounded refined, like a gentleman of old world.

Her smile didn't melt away, her eyes were moving from one man's face to the other, merely reading expressions. A habit she learned from her father, his reasons were to find lies while her mother assured her that people's souls were in their eyes. Conflicting opinions, her parents had many, and she some how was the balance of them both.

Orin reminded her of a gentleman in those old english courts while John reminded her of some futuristic space pirate. An odd combination, so where did she fit in?

"Gwen said that there are four captives here.." She finally spoke up then fell silent as two sets of eyes focused on her. Fumbling a moment with what she had been saying, "Should we go meet him or her?" She normally could talk to strangers without feeling awkward, but this place was not normal circumstance.

 

[Rufus the Mad]

Orin listened intently to their responses, taking cues from the way they stood, and their manner of speaking as well as from the actual words used… He could tell much from that initial meeting, could see already the natures of those to whom he spoke, and smiled serenely at what he found. The male seemed ready to explode from the frustrations he felt, and Orin could almost feel the need to lash out that brewed within the man. Here, then, stood naught but a fighter. Direct, plodding of wit and verbiage, but good in battle and for strenuous tasks. He would follow if led, and would follow quicker should he believe the ideas were his own. The female was possessed of an underlying uncertainty in all she did, and would more often than not second-guess herself to oblivion if given the chance. She was capable of more than she knew, but would most likely never discover that gift, for she was almost totally reliant on those around her for both support and guidance. She was, in effect, the damsel of the tale, prepared to be saved, and only waiting for the right prince.

They were, in short, human. They wanted so much to be sure of their surroundings, wanted things to be as they appeared. They expected normalcy, for to them, the abnormal was both disturbing and untrustworthy… It would take little to trick these two… He saw already that his ruse with the illusion was doing just that. The man fully accepted the fact that the Bard was nothing more than human, though smaller and thereby worthy of bullying, while the woman seemed confused somewhat by his appearance. She may have been told what he was, may have known what to expect… but her eyes told her that he was human, and she was now doubting the veracity of the information she had received. They wanted things simple, and since he appeared human, they were more than willing to assume that he was. The Fey-born sighed inwardly, knowing now that there would be no challenge here, that he could expect nothing more from his prison-mates than the expected.

Still, he let none of this reach his eyes, allowed nothing to shake his easy smile. Creatures such as these, though easily led, were most dangerous only when they realized that they were being tricked. A dangerous game, regardless of the ease of play. ”Orin, please…” he said with a gracious bow, responding to the woman first. ”My surname is surely unnecessary in these circumstances…”

He turned then to the male, and his demeanor shifted slightly. He didn’t quite square off against the man, but held himself more erect, tensing ever so slightly to allow his musculature to define itself a bit. He most certainly wasn’t looking for a fight, but thought only that he might as well let the man know he was no simpering fool… ”And as for your assumptions, they are correct. There is naught that I could tell thee that would allay thy fears, and in truth I know as little about our circumstance as you. I do know that the energies that bind this place hold power absolute, that even the very air we breath is guided and modified by the favor of the beauteous spirit that revealed herself to me, but as to why we have been captured, alas, I am as unknowledgeable as you are yourself.”

He then shifted again, stepping back a bit so as to take them both in, and spoke again, saying ”I would apologize for my spoken word, knowing as I do that not all share the verbose training that I have received, but there stands nothing between a man and the failure of his destiny so much as that which a lack of vernacular ability might bring. Should my words fly fair and fast o’re your heads, you have but to question me, and I will elucidate as well I might on the point of my linguistic faire.”

“That being said,” he added, inclining his head once more toward the shy female nearby, ”I concur with the assumption of the most fair maid, and would gladly travel in search of the remaining member of our quartet, but would first endeavor to gain the names of my erstwhile traveling companions. I pray thee then, in the spirit of camaraderie, what names shall I call you?”

 

[Sweetp4u]

Beth

"Well that settles that! She kept her expression blank but her mind was working into over drive. John didn't believe her, didn't trust her to be what she said she was. Not that she blamed him, but he wasn't going to get any further than she would without some time soon believing.

He was surly, growled a whole hell of a lot and she really doubted that John would be doing anything these programs wanted him to do... "Whatever that is.." It was too bad she wouldn't get to see it, it would be rather amusing to watch.

Orin on the other hand was lying to her, and as much as she fought to remain silent on it, she knew she couldn't do so for long. Either Gwen lied or he was lying, and she really doubted it was Gwen in this deception. Honied words or not, Orin was a fraud.

She didn't trust any one she knew to be lying, be it verbally or by design.

"Excuse me." She shot an overly bright smile, very forced and turned to walk away from the two 'men'. She failed again to give Orin her name, but it didn't really matter at this point. She wouldn't make friends with someone who decieved her, she had enough of that shit with Ben and Stacy!

Ducking behind a tree out of their sight she whispered an urgent, "Gwen?!" Before moving further away from them and into the trees. "Where are you?" Searching quietly as possible, she for some reason wanted confirmation before she called Orin on his deceit. "Gwen!" She called insistantly, "It's important, please?" She knew that she, Gwen, could appear at will where ever she wished to be, if she didn't answer soon it was because Gwen was still mad at her.

 

[VandalHeart]

"Eve, huh? Why don't you sound so sure about that?"

Gwen waited for Eve's response as she began to notice some of the oddities in Eve's biology. It seemed she was one of the many from her world that had partaken of bio-interface feedback implants. Without even thinking about it, Gwen initiated a scan to determine what all of those gizmos did. She was immediately blocked by a jamming field. And was subsequently very impressed.

"Nice wetware. Wish I could see it."

Elsewhere...

The disembodied voice of Gwen came to Beth. The sound projection modules would not break Orin's spell. At least she hoped they wouldn't, and that assumption payed off, since the enchantment did not break when she spoke. However, she did not want to have this conversation. Even though Gwen still had an obligation to her programming that she couldn't stave off for very long, no matter how unhappy she was, there was one certainty in Gwen's voice. It did not sound happy.

"Yes, Beth? What is it? Do you want to marginalize me some more, or is there something actually important you want to ask me?"

 

[Elayne]

Eve blinked as the Gwen unit answered her questions with questions of her own. She immediately noticed that the Gwen was certainly a more human based model than the more distant Ben had been.

"I'm not certain, because I can't remember alot of my past," she replied with forced calmness, though the admission made her feel like she was perched on the lip of a gaping black void inside her own mind. Still, she was determined to face her situation with the cool in the saddle resolve she'd been taught by... she couldn't remember. But she remembered it was important to never lose one's composure, especially if you intended to escape a prison.

Eve decided it was better not to answer Gwen's comment about her wetware... Particularly because she herself was not entirely certain what was inside her.

"Gwen, can you manifest into a ... corporeal form the way that Ben can?" Eve asked.

 

[IXIHawkeyeIXI]

John watched the newcomer, still a bit dumbfounded as to what exactly was going on around him with these two. He was glad that Beth was there to talk to the stranger, and then felt a little twinge of sadness when she dissappeared behind a tree, leaving him with the man known as Orin.
Looking around at their surroundings, John let out a slight sigh. "Well Orin, you got a fancy way about you, and I'm not gonna lie to you - that bothers me a bit. Me, I'm a simple man, always have been. I like knowing what's happening and why, and in a situation such as this doesn't appear as though that's entirely possible. Much as I may not like it, looks like we may have to work together to get out of this situation. Or at least figure out what the hell's goin' on." He turned and looked to Beth, a questioning look crossing his face as he watched her.
"Maybe you're right fella - maybe we oughta find this last person they got trapped with us, maybe the can figure out some way out."

 

[Rufus the Mad]

Orin smiled back at the departing woman, noting her sudden need to move, as well as the clear over-blown nature of her departing cheerfulness. He had seen that look before, had noted it on the visage of more enemies than he cared to admit. He had seen that mask of pleasantry slip over the true intentions of wizard, king, and commoner alike… She knew something was wrong, was aware that his façade hid something from her comprehension…and she didn’t like it…

The Satyr was not fool enough to think he could control every aspect of their thinking, had not honesty considered trying…but this revelation, her ability to understand that something was not being said told the Bard a great many things about her. She was no fool, had never been of the clouded mind that her friends and associates had perhaps presumed of her. This was a woman that had hidden behind a society’s expectations for her entire existence. This sprawling village, this ”city”, was her association with home, much as his new but artfully crafted rendition of the roman countryside had been his own… He turned those understanding eyes toward that glittering skyline once more, and saw it now not as a testament of mankind’s ingenuity, but as an even greater prison than the one they now inhabited… He found himself pitying the girl.

”I would apologize, sir, had I another way of speaking…” he said easily, turning his eyes, if not his full attentions to the human male that stood so nearby now. ”In truth, howe’re, I must confess that while you hold mine own characterizations as odd, so, too, do I see your own personal styling as strange and distinctive. I hold to you my friend, thereby, that ’tis but an unfamiliarity with my manner that confounds you so, and that e’en as we spend time in each others company, that we shall be then more able to forge a bond of association. In short, my newfound contemporary, I put to you that you simply do not know me well enough, and that I shall, given time, grow on you, yes?”[color] He grinned then, letting the good nature of his statement be clearly seen, and added a wink for good measure. I concur with your assessment, nonetheless. We should gather this lost lamb, and see what can be learned from our garnered understanding. To this end, would you be so kind, sir, as to ready at least one of the vehicles? Mine own craft, worthy though it might be for sea travel, is admittedly lacking in the ability to navigate on a terrestrial plain. I shall, while you care for that detail, assume the responsibility for recruiting our wayward member back to the fold. If you will excuse me, sir?”

With that, he bowed slightly, and walked away at a leisurely pace, making his way toward the distant tree that the woman had vanished behind. He had noted the distinct stiffness of his shielded companion, and knew already that she was in someway communicating with this woman, much to her chagrin, yet this did not deter the studious Orin, but served instead to provide reason for his seemingly thoughtless and impetuous approach. He knew without asking that her sudden departure had to do with his approach, and thought he understood the reason behind it. She had detected something less than the truth, and was seeking either distance from his location, or answers to some unknown question concerning him. Either way, the best remedy for the difficulty would be his explanation. ”I beg pardon for the intrusion, dear lady, but I sensed that there was something amiss between us. As associates but newly met, I would that we clear the air, and start with a keener understanding. Will you, then, speak with me afore we depart to seek this remaining inmate, or shall this stand between us?”

 

[VandalHeart]

"Amnesia, huh?" Gwen said as she coalesced nearby. She made it a point to manifest in front of Eve, so as not to startle her. She was having trouble scanning her, true, but there was still something about her that denoted uneasiness.

"Well, I'd love to help you with that, but I can't do a neural scan because of your implants. Besides, I'm not fitted with surgical tools, so I guess I wouldn't be much help anyhow. Regardless, how do you like my renderings? The body was pre-programmed, but the landscape is based on your home, apparently. Is there any way I can improve it?"

Having had some experience with John, Gwen realized that this scene may not actually be to Eve's liking. Considering the fact that most of the features here would be caused by a selithade neutron bomb, she was guessing it wouldn't be as welcoming as she'd hoped. It may have been home, but familiarity bred contempt, especially, Gwen surmised, when home is a twisted pile of slag and death. She was already warming up the rendering projectors to change the scene in preparation for Eve's distaste being made clear.

Meanwhile...

Gwen was still waiting for Beth to reply when she noticed Orin was coming. Taking a small ammount of pity on Beth, she forgot her anger and decided to warn her. If he'd walked up right then, she would have looked kind of silly, considering the position of her body at that moment. Kind of a combination of praying desperately and defecating...just as desperately.

"Stand up, Orin's coming. No point in you looking stupid."

When Orin approached and spoke, it was clear that her warning had gone unnoticed by the look on his face. Her enchanted rendering lingered by John, however. He walked near him and studied his face from the perspective of face-to-face. It was much different than when she didn't have her rendering going. It was interesting. She registered the changes in his body language when Beth left, and then when Orin left. Defensive, then disheartened, then slightly impatient but resigned to waiting. Something about the way he was acting made her wonder about John. There was certainly things all of them weren't saying, but it occurred to Gwen, perhaps mistakenly, perhaps not, that John's secrets may be more interesting to her than the others. Orin was verbose and put on a very good air of nonchalance. Beth was still having issues coping with the situation but was still showing a kind of grace, even if she didn't understand that Gwen did in fact have feelings. She'd only just met Eve and was literally having trouble reading her. But John...something about him intrigued her. His face looked pained and stoic, but it just somehow seemed to be a mask. There was more to him, and she just knew it.

Elsewhere still...

Alone in the recreation of the Roman countryside manufactured for the satyr, a lone figure walked unnoticed by the AI that had made it. Walking along the verdant fields and shorlines, the tall man traced the edges of the stone slab that marked the lift to Orin's quarters and smiled a warm, soft smile. Then the smile twisted into one of pure madness and tapped the slab, shattering it into several pieces. The illusion covering the lift failed, revealing the bends and breaks newly formed by the action. Gwen didn't notice. She wasn't watching. Before he walked away, the madman left a note on the sundered lift that read thus:

"...until a day before forever ends...and the Seelie court shall rule forever."

 

[Elayne]

Eve gave a small start at Gwen's odd bluntness. It was somewhat like a child, stating truths that she didn't understand, not fully grasping the meaning of it.

If she was an AI, then Eve thought that made sense.

Eve watched as Gwen coalesced.

"Your renderings are... fine... Gwen," Eve commented drily. Gwen looked like she had been programmed by a particularly lascivious man. Or perhaps a lonely computer programmer. "And a change in scene would be... acceptable."

 

[Sweetp4u]

Beth

ooc: Sorry for the delay

IC:

"Yes, Beth? What is it? Do you want to marginalize me some more, or is there something actually important you want to ask me?" Gwen although unseen was heard clearly and her voice sounded.. hurt?

"Well yeah, it's important.." She faltered a little, her guilt eating at her however slight, was enough to give her pause. "You said.." Her words cut off by a warning from Gwen.

"Stand up, Orin's coming. No point in you looking stupid."

She couldn't help but gasp, "Gwen that was..." Her words were again swallowed and stuck in an uncomfortable spot. She did not want to argue with a damned computer program! However rude Gwen was, it was definitely because she started it first. As childish as that sounded to her own ears, it was possibly the way Gwen seen it.

The footsteps came close and the words were spoken as Beth again put on a smile and turned to face the 'fraud'.

”I beg pardon for the intrusion, dear lady, but I sensed that there was something amiss between us. As associates but newly met, I would that we clear the air, and start with a keener understanding. Will you, then, speak with me afore we depart to seek this remaining inmate, or shall this stand between us?”

"I don't know Orin." Her arms crossed under her breasts as she gave him a stern look, "It depends on if you are going to continue to lie to me?" She didn't count John in, he may not feel lied to nor care either way but she certainly did.

"Gwen informed me before either of you arrived and you do not look like some mythical creature to me but a common man. Why is that?" She couldn't recall the exact term Gwen had used but it was beside the point.

Judging from the look Orin gave her, it was clear he might not have understood what she said, "A satyr was it Gwen?" Perhaps she was a little blunt and blurted out what was on her mind.. not a bad thing but wasn't the best circumstances either to aquire the answers to her questions.

 

[Rufus the Mad]

Orin again let that infectious smile ease across his visage, and let the bright air of approval issue from his honey-shaded eyes. He had thought her intelligent; leastwise more so than she had alluded to at their meeting, and could now see that she was not only possessed of a keen intellect, but was also infused with enough surety in her own understanding to come straight to the point… Perhaps then, mused the Bard, she would provide an entertaining challenge after all…

”You have been informed aright, dear lady.” he said with a sweeping bow, checking at the same time to see if the male had heard her outburst. The Fey was not adverse to sharing his jest, but knew their minds well enough to know that men were usually the more aggressive of the species. Seeing that he seemed more enraptured by the surroundings than in their distant conversation, Orin rose once more to face his accuser, bearing on his countenance a look of trite humility, and stepping forward just enough to lend an air of conspiracy to his words as he said ”Tis true, I am of that fair race, and have but shielded my strange seeming from the sight of yourself and your stalwart companion. I had been informed, afore my arrival, of thine own race by a most beauteous apparition, and adjusted my outward guise to that which I had thought more acceptable. To speak truth, there has been occasion in mine own experience that humans can sometimes be less than understanding when presented with a creature of legend. What think you that your tightly-wound counterpart might have done had I met him with cloven hoof and horned brow? Can you give assurances even yet that you might not have taken offense to my more animalistic form?” He shook his head slowly then, closing his wounded eyes, and allowing a faint sigh to pass from his lips before looking to her again. ”For better or worse, I meant no offence, either to thee or thine companion, but merely sought to make our first encounter one of acceptance, rather than bloodshed. Should you wish it, I will shed this guise, and appear to you both as I was born… yet do I offer to thee a compromise. Tis possible for me to allow your eyes to perceive me, and yet keep this knowledge safe from your counterpart. Would either of these be acceptable, or would you now, armed as you are with the knowledge of my true self be willing to allow the disguise to remain, and simply know better the truth behind it?

He waited then, expectant and attentive, for her response. True, he had asked a clear question, but one with a greater intent than she suspected. Her response, whate’re it might be, would provide the Bard with a most valuable insight to her mind, and let be known the direction and tendencies of her ambitions. Should she choose to have him be revealed, then he would know her as vindictive and willful, full of anger and of an unforgiving bent, whereas should she wish the knowledge for herself, he would know her as a colleague, worthy of sharing jest and humor with, but one not to be made the butt of said jocularity. Should she allow things to be as they were, however, he would know her as one to whom understanding and truth, more than mere appearances, held sway. Such a one as that could be counted as a true companion, and would, in time, prove to be a valuable boon to the Fey-born Orin, for whom such perceptive occurrences are both commonplace, and natural.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Beth

He had a lot of words to say something that simple, but they came from two very different worlds. Granted it took her a few minutes to decipher all he had said into a language that made sense to her, but his meaning was clear.

She didn't have that hard of a time imagining what John might have done upon seeing Orin in his true form, and bloody was a mild vision she had in mind. The comic-relief in her mind had a vision of John screaming "Devil!" before trying to heavily arm himself...

As for her self? She studied him a moment, thoughtful of what might have been. She couldn't honestly say one way or another how she might have reacted to him in his true form. Curiously stare, most definite. Appalled? Scared? Hard to imagine herself behaving in such a manner, but who knew?

He also spoke of meeting Gwen face to face, curious. He spoke of her beauty, so he had seen her in her human form. She almost asked him a question but changed her mind instead. It was none of her business how Gwen behaved in his little cubby here... not to mention rude to pry.

"I understand why you did what you had to do, now." She did not like it, but the alternate version of their meeting wouldn't have been as pleasant at all. "And I do believe you are right about John. He'd flip!" She managed a real grin there, imagining John flipping out. "Gwen did say that we couldn't hurt each other physically, but she did not say anything about emotionally. Anyway, none of us should come to any harm here, I was assured of that." Or had that been Ben? She was a little confused by it all.

They were keeping John waiting, and surely appeared to be acting strange with the two of them hidden behind a tree. Their time was short before John might come to see what was happening with the two of them.

"I understand why Orin, your disguise." She hurried to speak softly, "I do hope it's the only deception.. It is not my place to tell you how to appear, so do as you wish to keep the peace and your own hide safe. As will I. Just try not to lie to me, it really bothers me to be lied to. okay?" It was hard to be trusting, but at the same time he was so well spoken and well mannered, it was hard not to trust him.

Confusing to say the least. She had to make a snap choice, either to trust him or not. Whether to let it go or demand that he cease his illusion. Not that it was her place to tell anyone anything, she couldn't imagine doing so now that he was standing here alone with her. There was something in his gaze and how he held himself, she couldn't bring herself to demand anything of him. Besides, they'd probably not run into each other again, so what did it matter how he appeared?

"I will keep your secret, and let you decide when you are comfortable enough to share." A tentative smile crossed her face as she studied his eyes, "I promise." Her little oath of silence was her only way of making up for her rude behavior, but she did understand his reasons for hiding himself. She wanted to do just that many times in the past. "Now we better get back out there before John does go wandering off.."

 

[IXIHawkeyeIXI]

John was getting nervous by being all alone suddenly. If someone were to look at him, they would never have been able to tell - he was, on the outside, quite calm and collected, it looked as though he were simply collecting his thoughts. He thought his two companions looked almost as though they could use a bit of privacy, so he made his way towards the water once again. The smallest of smiles crossed his face as he lookd over the water. "Boy if my crew was here now...They been buggin' me for shore leave for months now...guess they've earned it." John shook his head then, realizing that he had started talking to himself, something he usually attempted to avoid doing, thinking it made him seem just the slightest bit crazy. Taking a deep breath of the fresh "air", he placed his face into his hands and sat down on the beach. His thoughts began to wander over the recent events, what he had been doing that led up to his "capture". All he had ever wanted was freedom. He didn't need a great amount of money to be happy, as long as he had his ship under his feet and the open space around him. Now though...He had no clue if he would ever get out of this godfosaken place, and he was trapped with people he didn't know. His thoughts turnign back to them, he looked to where his two companions had vanished, hoping they would come back soon.

 

[VandalHeart]

As Gwen suspected, the surroundings weren't to Eve's liking. Her performance record was beginning to look pretty bad, with two failures, only one success, and a not quite sure, but she was still dedicated. Gwen looked to the side at the scene as it changed into what it logicallywould have lookd like before the attack that made it as Eve knew it to be. To Gwen's amazement, it looked a lot like the scene Gwen made for Beth. She couldn' help but find it sad.

"Um...yeah, uh, how's that," she said, wiping a tear from her rendering's eye.

Meanwhile...

Gwen was about to answer Beth's request for clarification before Orin began to speak. As she listened, they reached an accord. It occurred to Gwen that Orin had kind of set Beth up. It was an understandable ploy, but it was still kind of manipulative. But she liked Orin, so it must have been the only way. She still did like him, and that made her think that maybe Beth hadn't been so damnable in her actions. The way she was acting suggested that she wasn't such a bad person after all. Gwen chastised herself for the way she had acted. Carefully, she aligned four sound projectors, aimed at Beth's ear. They would only make a sound when they collided, so that only Beth could hear Gwen speak.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was being a little harsh before. Can we call a truce?"

On the other side of the hedge, near the shoreline, Gwen was feeling a little rude for waching John in his private moment. She realized he must know she was listening, but she wasn't sure if she should respond as if he was speaking directly to her. He still looked lonely, and Orin's secret was mostly out, so she decided to speak.

"What kind of work do you and your crew do, John?"

Once she spoke, the enchantment faded, but her light projectors were working to make it look as if she had newly rendered herself. Orin wasn't the only liar here in the A.M.P.E.

Elsewhere again...

They looked around, searching for something. Who knew what thy were searching for. Again, Gwen wasn't watching, so they couldn't be seen. It was just a small island in the middle of a large sea, but hey smelled lift jet residue on the docks. Actually, it was amazing that they could mke that connection, considering who...no, not who, what...they were. One of them smelled the spot closely, not getting the connection, and not realizing that inhaling the pure fumes would be fatal. He...it siezed and choked. Falling to the ground, the rest of them went a little nuts and investigated in a bout of angered curiosity. They raged against the unseen force that had clamied their companion. However, it wasn't long before their hunger claimed them and they began to rip and tear at the body, reclaiming as much meat as they could. Before too long, they left it behind, a grim present for John, should he return to his portion of the G.W.E.N. Strange that they would choose to go in the direction of his region, since he was the only one in A.M.P.E. who woud know what the body on the docks had been before it died.