IC Contact - El Nysa

[ruffboi]

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[chaoticlootral]

[Well that's pretty much how they always play basketball, so seems legit.]

Gonna go with "pretty freakin' big." I haven't even figured out the entry requirements for it either - you got some people hanging out up in there making blood oaths to take some fools out the instant they wake up too, it isn't just people you like. Or are related to. Those don't have to overlap either. They just take a sample of the best dudes they can find in your world and shove 'em into cold storage. So, for example, me? An obvious choice. Pretty much the dopest wizard on the planet. Otherwise, who knows.

[It could be a mess in there. What category could Lup possibly be under. There's so much applicable. Undead Sisters, Dope Wizards, the Better Twin.]

[ruffboi]

I mean, seems based on what they're saying, guys might be kind of specific to us? I mean, sure. Best wizard, best fighter, but beyond that? Man, though, I didn't even think about bringing along someone who might want to kill you, or vice versa. Could be kind of a problem!

[Seeing as, he's vaguely aware he has an enemy but beyond that - ???]

[chaoticlootral]

[Best fighter . . . who is that? ]

Killian's here, you think?

[Man, Magnus, you just have a whole lot of problems, don't you pal. Christ. Hogging all the angst up in this shit. Well, Taako did promise to kill that dude, but there's no point in trying to explain to Magnus about it. He already knows it won't take.]

Can't pin down anyone specific who's got beef with us and also important enough to be tapped for this Intergalactic Wax Museum. [Rude, sure, but Taako knows small-part NPCs when he sees 'em.] Seeing as we already blasted a lot of those chumps back to where they belong, and anyone that wakes up and wants to take another crack at it can, uh, bring it? Seems like other people problems to me - we've got bigger messes to slop around in.

[ruffboi]

[Wow!!! Wow wow wow! Damn! Wow!!!! He's just going to pretend he didn't understand that.]

Hmm? Yeah, I bet she's around. Hope she and Carey made it out okay, at least. When I saw them, they were having some trouble fighting the uh, invisible guys, until I showed up and fought off a lot of them at once. [Anyway, it's hard to have angst about someone he doesn't even remember, so moving right along.]

Good point. We can just kill that bridge when we come to it. [Anyway, peering into a couple freezers since they're surely inside by now. Not seeing anyone he knows.]

[chaoticlootral]

[Magnus tried to latch onto his self-compliment train, and challenged him. He had to prove that he could make an unassisted dunk. Not sorry about it. Pressing his face full up against more freezers to check stuff out, hands cupped around his eyes. There's probably some spell he could use to narrow this down, but it could also be procrastination.]

Yeesh. Guess this guy proves looks isn't in their requirements list.

[Moving onto another one to pass judgment on more strangers.]

So you're putting mileage on my sword, is what you're saying. You're driving the value down, you know.

[ruffboi]

That's Brandon? He's my best friend from home, just you guys haven't met yet. Don't be rude!

[Knocking on the door without bothering to look inside.]

Sweet dreams, Brendon!

[chaoticlootral]

Brent looks like a dingus. Couldn't wake yourself up, huh, dongus? Couldn't get out of bed in time for the party, Barney?

[ He'll keep moving down the rows, entertaining himself with insulting each sleeping face and maybe adding a few minor illusions for funsies - a couple of moustaches and L's on foreheads - before he runs out of steam. This is getting a little depressing. ]

Anyone interesting? Or should I skip right to magicking us up a shortcut.

[ He has a spell ready, if they wanted. Mostly just checking to see if Magnus is ready or wants to dick around for a few more minutes before it gets real up in here.]

[ruffboi]

Yeah, Brody fucking sucks. [Following him and drawing some smiley faces into the frosted glass of the pods with his finger.] There's a guy in that one who looks like he's got a kind of funny tattoo, but besides that, nah.

[Claps his hands like he's getting impatient.] Magic, garçon!

[chaoticlootral]

Coming right up, just one more problem easily solved by being a wizard!

[ He pauses to concentrate, sticking his tongue out a little as he casts Locate Creature, concentrating on locating a specific creature known to him. That is, specifically a one-armed dwarf who keeps losing his items - it seems like the safest bet to maybe find Merle first, before forcing himself to concentrate on other, more problematic visions to guide him. He starts to spin around slowly, using the Umbrastaff as a kind of compass needle that points in the direction. Which is, for now, forward. He starts walking off, eyes still closed and letting the spirit or whatever move him.]

[ruffboi]

[Following him! Occasionally gripping him by the shoulders and slightly reorienting him so he doesn't walk directly into a wall. Also occasionally waving his hand in front of his face to see if he notices.]

[chaoticlootral]

[He does notice, and Magnus' hand gets swatted out of the way every time. He seems to interrupt himself a few times, stopping and turning in a circle before continuing on, or doubling back for no reason, but eventually the end of the Umbra Staff whips around and rams directly into a pod - shoving the handled end into Taako's stomach with a short oof as he seems to snap out of whatever he was doing.]

You have arrived at your destination.

[ruffboi]

[Immediately peering into this particularly short freezer pod. Yep, that sure is Merle in there. This abruptly stopped being very funny and started being sad.]

I feel like we should do something...? Maybe, uh, like, a nice Get Well Soon banner and some flowers? Do you have any glitter pens?

[chaoticlootral]

Oh. Huh. There he is. [ Yeah, it sure did turn into a bummer in here real fast. Scooching in to take a look too, face pressed to the glass. He taps on the pod a little too - as if he might just be taking a heavy nap and needs to be woken up like the sad dad he is. When that brilliant plan doesn't work, he steps back, patting down his pockets. ]

Well, they weren't technically listed in my inventory, but you never know. Hold on. [ Turning his pockets inside out. A whole bunch of stuff clatters to the floor - empty gogurt tubes, a couple of jewels (origin unknown), and, yep, some glitter pens roll out too. ] Got you covered.

[ruffboi]

Nice!

[Looking around for any paper to make a banner with -- he doesn't see any, so instead he just starts pulling off his shirt.]

What should we write? We definitely want Merle to know it was from us. Maybe no flowers, though, on second thought.

[chaoticlootral]

I'm not saying we should encourage his, uh, morning wood issue, but maybe we just leave 'em out here like a prize sort of situation? A tempting treat to get him out of the nap zone?

[However, actually getting flowers might be another issue. Unless he's getting up in the next hour anything illusory is just gonna fade away. Not at all questioning Magnus' shirt-banner plan, seems reasonable. What else were they gonna use?]

We've only got so much shirt and more banners to write - so short and sweet. "That'll Do, Pig."?

[ruffboi]

Aww, a callback! I love it.

[He tears a big banner shaped strip out of the shirt, and starts using the glitter pens to write up a message in big letters.]

We can save the flowers for now, something for later, if he needs it.

[chaoticlootral]

[ Yeah, it seems like the right message. Also, he'll definitely know it's these assholes. Reaching in to start helping with the glitter pen writing - adding a few stars and doodles to spice it up a bit.]

Yeah, lazy bones. [Knocking on the glass again.] You hear that, Merle? You can't get frisky with the foliage until you get your ass up, my man. Better hurry up with whatever weird tentacle dream you're stirring around in there.

[ruffboi]

[There, it looks pretty. It says 'That'll Do Pig' and then in smaller letters at the bottom it says 'By the way when you wake up you get to be Goose!' Hanging it up above the pod, few above the height Merle would be able to actually reach.]

What do you think? Is that going to do the trick? Should we sign it? I mean, he needs to know it was from us, right?

[chaoticlootral]

[ Standing back to observe and nodding in approval. It looks good. It's high art, honestly.]

You'd look at that and think there's any question about who left it? Anyway, he's not getting my autograph for free, he can pay for it like the rest of you. Thinks he can just get free gifts for waking up from a nap.

[There's another short pod close by, which is the next one Taako peers into - he has a safe bet about who might be inside.]

Hey there, magic boy. Couldn't, uh, whip up a little Blink or anything to get out of there? Show some self-motivation? Kids these days.

[He sounds like he's being a shithead, but there is definitely fondness in there. Each face is kind of worse than the last.]

[ruffboi]

[He can't actually goof around about this one. Sure, he can tease Angus to his face, but behind his back he's just a kid, and shouldn't be in this situation. It makes him too angry to think about Angus being hurt by the Storm - and there wasn't anything Magnus could do about it. Without Darma...]

Hah. Yeah. [Good effort. Clenching a fist a little. Sorry he's so extra.] Tough break, kiddo.

[chaoticlootral]

[Yeah! He is! He is being extremely extra right now when Taako's just trying to sort out some complex feelings with some light ribbing of a frozen child? It makes it extremely difficult to not take this seriously when Magnus is taking it so stone cold and he is bumming out this whole area.]

Not to turn this whole thing into a weird sort of post-apocalypse shrine situation, but you think he'd feel left out if we didn't leave a banner for him too?

[ruffboi]

[Ripping off another strip of shirt!]

Yeah, obviously we gotta do one for Ango. What're you thinking? You must be this tall to get unfrozen?

[chaoticlootral]

Hmmm, pretty good, pretty good. I like it. Could inspire something in Merle too. Or, one at the bottom that says "Look up!" and one near the ceiling that says "Look down!" and we see how long he stays here! On the other hand he could get trapped forever, seems dangerous.

[ruffboi]

Maybe just a good ol' fashioned, Hope You Didn't Share Freezer Air With Merle!

[Are they procrastinating? They're procrastinating a little.]

[chaoticlootral]

[ Procrastinating a little is a little bit of a understatement. Taako picks up a glitter pen and sits on the floor to start decorating, but instead just . . . sits there. Wiggling the glitter pen in his hand and staring at the blank shirt/banner. ]

It's a big decision? Really, uh, sets the tone. For this whole arc, you know?