Ch.2: "Trouble in Paradise" / Volcanic Paradise Island Arcadia

[Legendary Sidekick]

Desma replies, "We don't work a full shift at the club, just the occasional special order. This whole thing was Phœbe's idea. We met not long after she lost her wings. I saw her, just walking along the street, and… I was afraid she'd get stepped on. I offered to walk with her, but…"

Phœbe says, "Desma's too nice. I walk too slow. Finally she mustered the nerve to ask if she could carry me. I told her she could carry me home, and since I didn't have a home, she took me to her uncle's."

Desma goes on, "I was making a cake for a beach party… my uncle's friend's kid's birthday. I made the cake look beach like, and Phœbe said she wanted to jump in."

"I didn't," Phœbe says. "That would've ruined the cake. Instead, Desma made a little beach chair out of crackers and orange peels, and I dressed like a tourist."

"She had a little bikini and a sunhat." Desma shrugs. "It went over well."

Phœbe says, "It did. We were expecting little kids, not teenagers, but they still liked the cake and thought I was a nice touch."

"So there's our story. Thanks to Phœbe, people notice my cakes. And who knows? Maybe I'll be able to open my own place."

Desma and Phœbe tell Kell where the club is, and suggest meeting an hour after dusk. Bridgette catches up and says there's a $600 bounty on the Chief. She was paid $100 for capturing his masked man alive, but she offers the money to Kell and Leto.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell accepts the money, gives half to Leto and hands $15 of her part of the spoils to Bridgette, saying, "For your trouble in turning him in."

She repeats her question to Desma. "Does this Hearth-Throb place tend to stay loud late, and if so, when is it likely to quiet down? If we aren't likely to be able to get much sleep tonight due to the noise, I would like to give my friends the choice about where to stay. Sorry if I asked too many things at once."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Desma says, "The club is one of those dusk-to-dawn places, but all my special orders are scheduled at 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00. You won't hear the noise from my room. The caverns tend to cancel out sound."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Glancing at her friends, Kell says, "Then in that case, I think we'd be happy to stay with you, and yes, we'll meet you there an hour after dusk."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The afternoon passes rather uneventfully. Any attempt our heroines might make to find information on the Lava Demon turns up empty. On the other hand, if the ladies intend to relax on the beach until sundown, this works out best for Helix, who feels as if he's fully recovered by supper time.

The van Donk sisters are found relaxing on Nude Beach. They are fully clothed, as are the rest of the tourist. It seems that customs have changed since swimwear has become popular, and only the names of the beaches remain the same. In fact, Sonja warns Kell and Leto that Prude Beach is actually clothing-optional. "I swam there in mermaid form, and it was just a group of guys avoiding each other, and hoping I'd remove my top. I didn't stay long."

It turns out Hanna Barbaric also had a run in with some masked men. She now has a spiked shield and Sonja has a sword. Nissa caught some fish for dinner when given the chance to show off her spear-fishing skills. She was given a real spear as a reward. The van Donks are not as well-equipped as Kell and Leto, but they are willing to help out in the Lava Demon hunt… assuming there really is such a thing.

As the sun hangs low in the sky, our heroines head back to Sunset Strip. Bridgette carries Hess on her shoulders so the kid can enjoy the sunset while everyone heads toward Hearth-Throb, where they are greeted by bouncers asking for a $50 admission fee. "Except for the kid," says a man whose name tag reads BROOZER.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto tilts her head at "Broozer"'s words. "Does that mean she's not allowed in, or that her admission is free?"

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell tells Broozer, "We aren't here to attend your club, we're friends of Desma and Phoebe, who handle some of your special orders. Desma invited us to stay with them for our visit. Does that affect whether we pay?"

She tells Leto, "We still need to notify Daryl that we won't be coming. I recommend that we do that before we go in."

She asks Broozer, "Do you by chance have something we can use to write a message on?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Leto's question stumps Broozer. "It's one of those," he says. His mouth falls open, but no other words come out.

The other bouncer (known as BIG OH) says, "OH! YOU ARE DESMA'S FRIEND! AND PHŒBE'S! RIGHT THIS WAY!"

As Big Oh leads Kell, Leto, Hess and the van Donk sisters to a VIP table, Broozer hands Kell a notepad. The notepad has a drawing of five fairies brandishing wands like weapons. It says Fairy Force 5 on the pad. "For my daughter," Broozer says. "I can get her another." A quill and ink well are at the table, which may be a place where meetings are held and deals are made. If Kell and Leto were hoping to avoid loud dancing crowds, it seems someone has made some nice arrangements for them.

Sonja says to Kell, "Wow! Your friend Desma must know some important people to get us in here!"

Bridgette asks, "If she's so well connected, why is she working two jobs, at least one of which is minimum wage?"

Hanna stares out the window that overlooks the sea. The sun has set and the first starts have appeared, but the sky is still a pretty shade of purple along the western horizon.

A colorful parrot sits on a branch by the window. "Pretty," says Hess.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell sits down and writes a quick note to Daryl.

___________________

Daryl -

My friend is putting us up, so we won't need your hospitality.

Best of luck to you, Alexa, and Sunny, too.

Kell and Leto
____________________________________

When finished, she rolls up the message and says, "I sure hope I can open the window because I'm commandeering the parrot to deliver the message to Daryl."

As subtly as she can, Kell casts Charm Animal.
Kelleia:2D6*→*9(5 +4)#charm parrot for message delivery

"Ok, Leto, time to do your thing."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

The parrot flies off, though Leto has time to connect with the bird if she wants to. Kell's magic is strong enough for the bird to find its way and deliver the message.

As evening begins, Desma shows up with her first cake. It's for a young couple celebrating their anniversary. Phoebe is dressed as a bride, arm in arm with a statue of the groom. Her blonde wig makes her a splitting image of the woman, though the human version is more well endowed than the fairy. When the cake is delivered, Phoebe starts talking to the figurine of the groom. The man is actually surprised--he didn't realize the figurine of his wife was a real person.

"Can my mini-me talk?" he asks his wife.

A light nudge from the wife prompts him to pay attention to the wingless fairy's words. Our heroines can't hear the speech, but they see the gestures, the most significant being the gesture as Phoebe ends her speech with her hands on her belly.

"Due in the coming spring," the wife tells the husband.

He then asks Desma to cancel the champagne and the merlot.

"I'm not a waitress," Desma says, "But I'll pass your message on. Congratulations!"

Desna gives Kell and friends a wave as she passes by with Phoebe in her hands.

They are seen minutes later. This time the cake is not so innocent. Phoebe is dressed in lingerie in a seductive pose. The cake appears to be a heart shaped bed. What the group is celebrating is unclear, but Desma and Phoebe are apparently receiving a lot of tips for this cake.

Desma collapses in a chair next to Kell. Phoebe sits on the table, and is now wearing a tiny robe.

Phoebe says, "I like bride cakes more than underwear cakes."

Desma says, "You know I'll turn down those orders if you want me to."

"But they tip well. We'll turn them down when we can afford to."

Desma says to Kell, "We got a few minutes before we have to prepare our last cake. Should we talk now, or wait until we have more time?"

Phoebe says, "I have to admit, I'm intrigued to think anyone would travel out of their way for little old me! If you can't tell me why, do I at least get a hint?"

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell tells Desma, "There may or may not be time, and I don't want Phoebe to feel rushed, so I'm going to suggest waiting."

Grinning, she tells Phoebe, "I suppose I can give you a hint. We were coming here anyway, so that's partly why we agreed to seek you out, but we were sent by someone who is genuinely concerned about you."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Phoebe's eyes widen, simultaneously expressing both desperation and hope. A knowing grin slowly crosses her face. "I look forward to hearing more after my work then."

She asks Desma if they can prepare for the final cake early. "Great," Desma says. "Now she's excited."



Moments later, Desma comes out holding a cake that looks like a volcano. There is a man in a white suit seated at the head of the VIP table next to yours. The rest of the men wear black suits. The man is speaking as Phoebe stands at the edge of the volcano. His language is strange to our heroines, but Phoebe either understands the man or is simply watching for cues as she performs.

She strips off her white robe. She seems to be wearing a body suit, but she at least appears nude with white markings painted all over her body. She dives into the volcano, her luminous glow lighting up an orange gelatinous ooze emerging from the volcano, making it appear as lava.

Desma lets out a sigh of relief as her long day of work comes to a close.

The man in white shouts something and draws a bone knife. He plunges it into the cake!

Desma wails, "Don't cut it until she's—OW!"

Desma steps back clasping her slashed wrist. The entire cake is covered in blood, but our heroines can't tell if it's all Desma's or if Phoebe was cut. The fairy is not coming out of the cake.

The men in black surround Desma. There are men in black at each of the other three tables in the VIP room. When the van Donk sisters rise, so do the men at the other tables…



((​Situation
Desma is wounded, but is preventing blood loss by tightly grasping her wrist. Phoebe may or may not be harmed. There is one man in white and 24 men in black.

Positions
NW table - Hess, Leto, Kell and the four van Donks
N table - man in white, 6 men in black, Desma, cake with Phoebe inside
NE table - 6 men in black
SW table - 6 men in black
SE table - 6 men in black

Northwest/North/Northeast = balcony rail w/ 20 ft. drop into the crowd below
West = open window that leads to tree
East = rock wall which is part of volcano
South = exit to stairs))

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell goes over to the north table and says to the man in white, a steely glint in her eyes, "That was one if not two of my friends you just cut. What, pray tell, do YOU think YOU were doing?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The man in white replies, "Cutting the cake. I'm sure the fairy got out of the way, but the virgin got in the way."

Some men in black take hold of Desma. One has some bandages.

The man in white says, "My men will stop the bleeding." He points his knife at Kell in a threatening manner. The knife quivers, as if it wants to leap from the man's hand and into Kell's throat.

The van Donk sisters each take steps toward different tables…

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto moves forward as the man points his knife at Kell. "If you want to stop the bleeding, then don't threaten my friends while they do it."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell tells the man in white in a tone that brooks no argument, "I will deal with the wound." She wants to rake the man up one side and down the other for his carelessness, but figures that won't help anything, especially with all of the men in black in the room. She wonders if this man is tied to the lava demon somehow, though based on clothing, the men put her in mind of the bats she called earlier in the day.

She tells Leto, "Make sure Phoebe is okay and I'll bandage Desma."

And she gets a bandage out of their kit and applies it to Desma's wrist. "Are you okay?" she asks her friend.

While she waits for Desma's answer, she calls to Helix, I don't know what's going on here, but there are some creepy men here and we might need to make a quick exit. Be ready if we do.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Let them," says the man in white.

One man in black starts to protest. "But chief..."

Another cuts him off. "Shut up and back off, you moron."

"Fine." The first man in black shoves Desma toward Kell. "We'll just find another virgin."

"Of course we will." The man in white points his knife at Leto, then each of the van Donk sisters. "They're not as rare as you think."

The men start to back toward the door. Bridgette looks like she wants to pick up a table and hurl it at the men. Hess looks relieved. Sonja looks offended. "Who keeps a knife that can detect a woman's virginity?"

A man in black says, "If it's any consolation to you, it works on men too." The knife seems to have a magnetic attraction to the man as he positions himself protectively near his chief. "I strongly dislike that knife," he mutters more audibly than intended.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto's lip curls as the men speak of virgins. "What do you want with a virgin?" Are these men involved with the ones who took Alexa?

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The man in white says, "The virgin is not for me."

He then slashes the throat of the man who muttered about the knife. The arterial spray becomes a mist that obscures the chief for a split second.

When the cut man drops to his knees clasping his throat, our heroines only see men in black, and a trail of bloody footprints that lead to the exit. The cut man slumps over on his face and the remaining men in black start to file out the door.

The van Donks seem to be following Kell's and Leto's lead.

Desma cries out to Kell, "I w-won't end up like… him…?"

There is a muffled sound coming from the cake.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell leaps to the aid of the man whose throat was slashed, grabbing a bandage from her kit and putting it to his throat and applying firm pressure. She doesn't know if it'll be enough to save him but she has to try. "I'll do everything I can to help you," she murmurs in comforting tones. "Do you have family I can notify about this?"

"Bridgette, can you run downstairs and tell them there's a major medical emergency with a lot of blood and we need a doctor or surgeon's help?" She figures the big Barbierien will be hard to overlook.

"Nissa, can you help Phoebe get out of the cake?" She hopes the Quarterling's small stature will seem less frightening to the doubtlessly frightened fairy.

Finally, she says to Desma, "Not if we have anything to say about it, you won't."