Re: 2.5, mini-adventure: Pretty women

by Kolson Sat Jan 21, 2017 9:04 am

"I did indeed lose my balance Konrad, though not at the point you are probably thinking of. The book shelves are pretty tall, so each one has a built in ladder that rolls down the face so the students and faculty can get to the higher volumes. Lucky for me no one was using it so I carefully rolled it down to where I wanted it and began the climb. It was slow going but I hit on a way to balance the cake by putting the lip of the plate on the run of the ladder, taking a step up, moving the cake, and so on and so on, slowly making my way up to the top.

The top runs of the ladder aren't really safe to use but it wasn't hard to transfer the cake to the top and then shimmy my way up. That top was filthy though. I don't think anyone had checked the cleaning enchantment since they put it in a millennia ago. So there I am lying in that mess trying to keep that crap off the cake and doing my best not to make any noise.

I waited for a long time as I had gotten to the library a bit early, so it wasn't until my 18th or 19th sneeze that I finally heard someone sit down at the table with a loud crash of books. I risked a peek and saw that it was Zelk. I knew it was her because she was wearing the red scarf her grandmother had given her, and it was very beautiful. It really set off her eyes, and I wish you guys could have seen it. I'm so sorry Zelk.

But the time was finally here! My heart was beating a mile a minute by the time I started making my way down the case towards the table. I had to lift the cake in front of me with my elbows bent so I could use them to pull myself along the length of the case. I'd have to set the cake down and rest after every slide as the cake was just too big for that awkward angle. It was also a pretty tight fit as the cake and I both poked over either side of the bookcase. Like I said it was very massive. But luckily for me Zelk was tired and a deep reader besides, so I was able to make it to her without her suspecting a thing.

Now, this part is awful you guys. I really don't know what I was thinking and I wouldn't have blamed her if she never spoke to me again. When I got to the end I decided it would be a good idea to sit up, lift the cake up and yell 'Surprise! Happy birthday!' Except I underestimated how tired my arms were from holding the cake up while I pulled myself along by the elbows and after I got it up to a certain height my left arm gave. I got as far as 'Surpri-aaahhhh!'" He throws his hands in the air to illustrate the point. "I tried to catch it and not fall but the cake came crashing down right into her face. My yell had gotten her attention you see. The cake exploded everywhere--her face, the table, the floor, her clothes. It was awful! But I wasn't far behind. The bookcase tipped and I landed hard on the table, which is oak by the way. The cake did nothing to break my fall. Not that it mattered since the books and the shelf came crashing down into that mess too. We were lucky we didn't die. If Zelk hadn't had her pile of books there to help keep the bookcase off of us we might have."

by K Sat Jan 21, 2017 10:04 am

Mihai listens without a word, blinks, then can't help but remark - "....you couldn't have just hidden under the table?"

by Kolson Sat Jan 21, 2017 8:31 pm

"No, you'd be able to see under it as you walked up. The library is huge and that was just the second floor."

by K Sat Jan 21, 2017 8:37 pm

Mihai glances at Zelk - "What should he have done instead?"

by Rory Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:05 pm

Konrad chuckles at all the appropriate places and gives a hearty "Hahahahaha!" at his illustration.

"You live dangerously, my friend," he quips smugly. "One might even say 'on the edge'."

by Kolson Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:48 pm

Steve laughs at Konrad's pun. "Oh man, that was awful. Well done. I'm practically 'falling off' my chair."

by Zeiss Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:55 pm

Zelk keeps a straight face for most of the story, glancing now and then at the others to gauge their reaction. When Steve tells her he's sorry for ruining her red scarf, she replies, "Don't worry about it. I managed to wash it afterwards... then I kept it hidden in my bedroom, just in case."

The rest of the group is captivated by the story, and once Steve has finished his detailed retelling of that birthday, Aemilia can't help but give a bewildered look at Zelk. As for Mihai's question, Zelk's answer is simple.

"He should have put the cake on the table where I used to sit at. I might have invited him to eat it with me."

She smirks.

by Kolson Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:58 pm

"What?! But what kind of surprise would that have been?"

by Zeiss Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:59 pm

"A painless one."

by K Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:00 am

"The kind that wouldn't have made you wait another decade to get where you are now."

by Kolson Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:04 am

"You guys are no fun. If you never take any chances how will you know what is possible? If I had waited 5 minutes for my arm to rest the story might have had a very different outcome."

by K Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:06 am

Mihai glances at Zelk again - "Would it?"

by Zeiss Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:08 am

Zelk ponders for a second... then shrugs, and starts to eat her stew.

"I think it would have!" exclaims Breeze. "Steve, you should have trained more! That was your mistake."

"Obviously," adds Fedler with an humorous tone.

Aemilia chuckles.

by K Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:09 am

Mihai turns his attention to edible matters.

by Kolson Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:16 am

Steve gives a thumbs up to Breeze and starts eating his food.

by Rory Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:35 am

"Heheheh. Well I think cake explosion is a perfect birthday surprise. Even with the cleanup."

He starts scooping stew into his mouth with bites of sliced bread between.

by Zeiss Sun Jan 22, 2017 3:41 am

Konrad:

by Zeiss Sun Jan 22, 2017 4:14 am

The rest of the lunch is uneventful. There's some small talk about the upcoming ball, and why Mr. Freeron isn't present at the table.

"He's probably sleeping," explains Zelk. "These sorts of events tend to exhaust him, so he rests more than he usually do to prepare himself."

Once everyone has finished eating, Aemilia thank the hosts for their hospitality, and tells everyone that she must go back home to put order in work-related matters and prepare her dress for the evening. Breeze says she's going to follow Mr. Freeron's example and take a nap herself. Konrad follows her soon after, but will come out of the fairy's bedroom a few minutes later. He will be able to follow Aemilia if he so desires.

Fedler and Zelk haven't planned anything for the rest of the afternoon, but they know the first guests will enter the manor at 19:00 PM, which leaves them until 18:30 PM before they have to get dressed. There will be a buffet served at the ball, so there's no need to plan for dinner.

What will the party members do until fated hour?

by Kolson Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:27 am

Steve will go for a walk and invite anyone interested to join him. He'll make cheerful small talk with anyone that accepts. He'll also challenge them to a game of "Spot the improvised entrance or exit that you would use to enter or escape the grounds in all speed and/or with little or no detection." If asked about why they are playing this he will say mysteriously "Oh, you should always know how to escape any situation you find yourself in. You never know when things might go wrong."

After that he'll borrow a book from the library which he'll read for about an hour before lying down for a nap. If Zelk wants to join him he'll happily read to her while they snuggle.

by Rory Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:40 pm

"Sure, I'll come. ~~I've got a little errand to run, so we'll probably split at some point."~~

Kolson wrote:"Spot the improvised entrance or exit that you would use to enter or escape the grounds in all speed and/or with little or no detection." If asked about why they are playing this he will say mysteriously "Oh, you should always know how to escape any situation you find yourself in. You never know when things might go wrong."

"I like the way you think, Steve! Let's play."

Finding good spots? He's good at that. Being fast and quiet? Not his forte.

~~When they reach the library, he'll commment, "Huh. Remember that errand I told you about? Looks like we won't be splitting up after all."~~

In Sean's Library
He looks for an engineer-minded book about the historic milestones of human ingenuity and progress, examining and analyzing these milestones from antiquity into the present, after which it becomes speculative of the future for the field of engineering overall.

~~If he hasn't finished reading it by the time Steve's ready to go, he'll ask to buy it at the counter.~~ He'll ask if there's an extra copy he can borrow. If not, he'll go see if there's a library in town that has it.

by K Mon Jan 23, 2017 2:36 am

Mihai will wander about by himself until about 4PM, at which time he'll find Fedler and ask her out for a walk around the garden - "It's not a forest, but... maybe we could make do. There's a greenhouse too.".

She'll go on a promenade with him, and happily give out the names of the flowers and plants they pass by, including whatever effects they have, and some stories about the names. Also, small talk. After an hour, Mihai will wonder what else is there worth checking out in the house, then just give up and joke - "Maybe we could raid the pantry."

Fedler smiles and waits to see if he'll really go through with it. Mihai gets up and takes her by the hand. They both go into stealth mode and commence their infiltration of the target.

by Kolson Mon Jan 23, 2017 2:42 am

OOC I meant Sean's library.

Steve disappears with Mihai after letting Konrad know he'll be back in a while but he returns in about 10 minutes minus Mihai. He'll ask Konrad if he wants to play some Joker Poker or chess to pass the time. He'll play for an hour or two before begging off and saying he'll see Konrad at the ball.

by Rory Mon Jan 23, 2017 4:11 am

[Huh...ok. I changed my post to reflect that.]

Chess is the choice of game this time - no luck involved to motivate players to cheat, but a good poker face can deceive your opponent. Konrad is a risk taker with no love for/from Lady Luck.

Chess - Int (+4)
Rory carried out 1 launched of one D20 :

10

Chess - Deception (+ Cool

Rory carried out 1 launched of one D20 :

10

Konrad plays with reticent enthusiasm, like a spider waiting for prey to blunder into its web. When they reach the game Steve decides is the last one, Konrad will say farewell and head to Aemilia's house. "I'd like to be fashionably late, but we can't let the time get ahead of us, can we? I may have to convince her, we'll see."

by Kolson Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:00 am

Steve is a terrible chess player and Konrad easily defeats him. In fact, he seems to get even worse in the second game. For whatever reason he just doesn't grasp the tactics of the game. It's like a master martial artist not being able to dance. It's uncanny.

"Well, I hope she comes. Later man. We should play again some time."

by Zeiss Mon Jan 23, 2017 7:00 pm

When Steve proposes that they snuggle while he reads her a book, Zelk can't help but be reticent to the idea. However, it becomes apparent that she actually likes the idea, and she simply doesn't want to admit it to Steve. He only needs to encourage her a little, and she lets herself be convinced to snuggle up to him. She eventually falls asleep in his arms, only to be waken up just in time for the ball.

___________________

Operation Pantry Eater is a go.

Mihai and Fedler successfully sneak into the large pantry, which is empty for the moment. They can however hear the muffle sound of footsteps going back and forth on the floor above them, and from the other side of the wall; the servants are still cooking the food that will be served at the buffet this evening, and one of them may very well come in to get one missing ingredient.

"Let's find the sweet stuff," suggests Fedler. "There's gotta be some chocolate in here."

The pantry is filled with all sorts of food, spices, and cans stamped with labels that can't be read because of the darkness. While the almost total absence of light makes for great cover, it becomes an hindrance when you're trying to find something good to steal. After a few minutes of exploration, the power couple finds what they were looking for; a cupboard full of chocolate bars, candies and jellybeans.

"Jackpot."

The rejoicing is cut short however; someone is walking down the stairs, and if the power couple doesn't hide soon, Operation Pantry Eater will end in failure. Fedler only has time to grab Mihai's collar and take him behind a trio of sacks full of rice. The servant arrives with a small oil lantern to light the way, and walks right past the two intruders. She approaches a shelf, grabs one jar full of eggs floating in vinegar, and goes back to the kitchen, without ever suspecting the presence of Mr. Freeron's guests.

"Let's go."

Fedler walks towards the cupboard again, grabs a milk chocolate bar with almonds in it, and waits for Mihai to make his choice. Once he does, they both scamper out of the pantry to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

___________________

Konrad finds an historical thesis spread across three volumes called A recap of the technology timeline, which was written fifteen years ago. It details the progress of engineering from the very beginning of the Empire (which dates back to 800 years ago) to the current post-Flood era. Because it focuses on the historical aspect of engineering, and technology in general, there is no schematics or detailed explanation about the concepts related to this field. There is however multiple references to other works which deal with these concepts, and Konrad realizes he could use this as a reference book for further research on the subject.

The only book Konrad can find about speculative applications of engineering is too short to provide him any hindsight on the matter, and mostly explains how the progress of pure technology has been incredibly slowed by the focus on the research of magic.

When he asks Gwen if there is copies of those volumes, she informs him that no, there isn't any. After a quick trip to the local library, and some meticulous research, he finds used copies of the three-parts book which is sold for 6 silvers.

Once he's done there, he has just enough time left to meet Aemilia at her villa and put on his suit.

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