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

[Legendary Sidekick]

Hess says, "Patty Melt's an iron maiden. I don't know where she lives though."

Vin says, "You mean one of those metal women? I hear a bunch of them live in the Platbot Mansion. I don't know who you gotta kill to be invited to a place like that."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell tells Vin, "We need an arrangement we can make pretty quickly, and I doubt the Platbot Mansion is one of those. It might be worth following up on tomorrow, but not tonight."

Instead of repeating her question to Desma, she looks at her friend and says, "This is now the second question I've asked that you've not responded to, and I'm wondering...are you feeling alright? It's not like you to be this scattered."

Just great! I need to come up with alternate sleeping arrangements for nine and possibly fourteen people in a city I don't know, and the locals are about as helpful as a box of rocks. If I can't get some help to make these arrangements, we'll all be sleeping on one of the beaches tonight!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Desma comes out of her room with Phoebe. "Sorry," she says to Kell. "Phoebe and I were having a little talk about what this news means for our business."

"Desma fired me," Phoebe says, but with a smile.

After discussing possible sleeping arrangements, Phoebe especially likes the idea of a beach slumber party. "Don't let the names fool you. Everyone keeps their clothes on on Nude Beach, and it's normal to sleep under the stars there. Prude Beach is a place you go to avoid crowds. I'm not sure why hardly anyone goes there though... maybe just the name?"

Outside, Helix is whinnying and clopping his hooves in attempt to communicate. This stalls the men long enough for our heroines to explain what Helix is trying to tell them. Seeing Vin alive and well, they thank Hess and Leto for being so compassionate and agree to join them. "Which beach?" Bensen asks.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell says, "Nude Beach, I guess." She's torn as to whether she wants to sleep around other people besides their party or not.

She tells Bensen, "I think it would be a good idea if we picked up your fiancée and the other two as well. Where would we need to go for that?"



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[Legendary Sidekick]

Benson gives Jerome a wide-eyed stare.

Jerome says, "They're at the peak. Chief set up camp there. I reckon we gotta get past the goon squad to get to them."

Wilbur says, "They're safe as long the goons don't find three more sacrificial virgins. It's not like they can go after children or anything. Men and women only, which narrows it down to the few people who are over eighteen and unmarried—not sort that gets out at night… uh, present company excluded? Anyway, despite us running off, the chief will tell our brides-to-be whatever it takes to make them cooperate."

Benson asks Wilbur, "You mean like you and the cow?"

"Yeah. Io was a little plump, but she wasn't no cow. That was before Jenny. I was fifteen and… it don't make it right." He says to the women. "I was gonna tell Jenny about my earlier transgression, but when chief said Io was a cow, she wouldn't even look at me."

Vin says, "Yeah, he kept trying to say I was honorable and I should be her groom, but non of it felt right to me or Jenny. I said I'd find another, and after a string of bad luck, the chief started getting squads of men to scour the island."

Jerome says, "It's not like Vin can't find a date. The bone knife rejected them, though."

After a moment, Bensen tells our heroines, "Let's meet by with Wicker Bros. It's a statue, sort of. It'll burn at midnight, and that's when we'll be back. We'll go after our financees a little before dawn. We just need to be well armed."

The van Donk sisters look to Kell and Leto. Nissa asks, "Do the boys need supervision, or do we all trust we're all going to meet by the Wicker Brothers?"

"Bros," says more than one of the men in unison.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell tells Bensen, "Leto, I, and the Van Donk sisters are all capable of fighting. Hess can stay with Desma and Phoebe. There are 20 of the goons. Are you sure you couldn't use some help?"


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Benson says, "They're our fiancees, so we'll rescue them, but… yes. We can't win alone. We'll meet you by the Wicker Bros statues on Nude Beach. They're thirty feet tall and made of wicker, and they'll be lit on fire at midnight. You can't miss them. If you're all up for helping us out, we'll be well armed—with ranged weapons."

Jerome asks Nissa, "What about you van Donk sisters?"

Nissa says, "Got a spear?"

Sonja says, "A broadsword! A big one!"

Hanna says, "Anything with a shield."

Bridgette makes a tight fist. "I'm good."

"I'm sure you are." Jerome nods.

Wilbur says, "We'll get what you ladies need."

The three men thank our heroines and head toward the coast.

Hess asks, "So… do we go to the beach now?"

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell tells Hess, "Not just yet. I need to change clothes right quick. This is definitely an encounter where my Chiton of Enlightenment would be a wise precaution. But tell me something, Hess. Can you use your fire magic in destructive ways? Could you, say, start a fire if we set up something that could burn? If so, how far away could you light a fire from? Come with me and talk to me about that while I change."

She tells Desma, "I'm sorry to be causing you so much upheaval. Mind if I change clothes in your room right quick?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Hess says, "Oh, I can't hurt anyone with my magic. I create illusions, warm homes... and I can cook, but my fire will go out if someone falls toward it or tries to touch the flame. But it feels hot when you get close, so if I'm being chased I can set a flame and whoever's chasing me always stops. They don't know the fire won't hurt them."

Desma lets Kell change in her room. "No trouble at all," she assures Kell. Hess follows Kell to Desma's room.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell quickly changes into the Chiton of Enlightenment, folding the Aqua Scrunchy and tucking it back into the suitcase.

She tells Hess, "If you can't do anything overtly damaging, then I'm going to have to think about whether you come with us or not. If you do, I want you well back from the action. We'd get into a lot of trouble if you got sacrificed to the Lava Demon."

She goes back to where the others and asks, "Are we ready to move to Nude Beach? I want us out of here as soon as possible."

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto makes sure her bow is strung and fit for use while Kell changes outfits. At the question, she nods solemnly. "Let's get moving."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Our heroines head to Nude Beach and find that it is indeed not a nude beach. The Wicker Bros are wicker men waiting to be lit up at midnight. They are currently surrounded by tiki torches, making the figures easy to see from afar, even in the dark. There are groups of men and women wearing bone jewelry and skimpy swimwear. Some bang on drums, some strum instruments, some drink, some dance, and some find a way to do more than one of these activities at once.

Sonja thinks it's fun and goes to join them. Phoebe almost goes with her, but then tells Desma, "I'll sit this one out for Sapphie."

Bridgette and Hanna approach an elderly couple and exchange a few coins for a few blankets. The blankets are placed just far enough from the music and dancing that those who stay on the blankets can watch the dancers and listen to the music, and they can also engage in conversation without having to shout.

It seems too crowded an area for the chief to attempt a kidnapping. Helix asks Kell, Mind if I take a dip? You seem safe for the moment. Maybe I can watch the swimmers, make sure they're safe. And I mean safe from drowning, not safe from virginity loss. My virgin alert's all you--anyone else, I don't need or want to know! I see couples screwing around in the water, you'll see how fast a one-horned dolphin can swim!

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell thinks to Helix, That sounds like a good idea. Go for it, sidekick o' mine!

Kell goes and joins the dancers, swaying gracefully in the light of the torches. She doesn't dance with anyone in particular, but hopes that her nymph effect will help the dancers to enjoy themselves. She figures that if anyone attempts to man-handle her, her chiton will 'enlighten' them as to the wisdom of that idea.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sonja was already a big hit with the crowd, but everyone seems to be enjoying the presence of a nymph. The women love her outfit, the men love her, and girlfriends don't seem to mind boyfriends watching since the couples are watching her together and joining her. Sonja stays close to Kell. As far as onlookers are concerned, Kell and Sonja are two beautiful women who just want to dance. The chiton doesn't have to zap anyone yet, but the night is still young...

Helix is out in the water with a few swimmers. In dolphin form, he can keep an eye out without the swimmers seeing him.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell finds herself thinking about Vin as she dances. She likes that he's an ordinary guy, and she finds his lack of experience with women to be charming. It makes him seem approachable, somehow.

A guy like him probably can't get past my looks, though. And I'd still need to ascertain that he's not spying on us for the man in white. Though it would have been a big gamble on the man in white's part that we would save Vin's life. With this battle between the Immortals going on, it's probably not smart for me to get involved in a romance, but Vin might make an OK friend. But I suppose there's nothing wrong with making a few friendly overtures and seeing how he responds.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto is content to sit and watch the dancing, keeping wary in case of trouble. Though the sight of Kell dancing is distracting at times... must be a Nymph thing.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Leto isn't the only one enjoying the show Kell is putting on. If Sonja's mermaid bra came undone or her little waist cloth were to fall off revealing nothing underneath, it's likely no one would notice. The look-but-don't-touch rule seems to be mutually understood by even the more intoxicated in the crowd. Perhaps Kell notices that—with a couple exceptions—people watching her aren't ogling her body but simply watching her dance.

As it gets close to midnight, Wilbur, Jerome, Bensen and Vin return. They present the van Donks with the weapons they asked for, including javelins for Hanna and an axe for Bridgette. The men open up a case in front of Leto. There are Hand Cannons inside—six of them.

Wilbur asks her, "Think you can fire one of these?"

((Leto is the only woman in the group who can fire one without penalty.))

Ben and Jerry are having a discussion with Vin. It seems to be two against one for a moment, but whatever they're whispering about, Vin nods then swallows hard.

He finally approaches Sonja.

"Uh… may I cut in?"

She replies, "It's not a couples' dance, but yes." She leaves Vin some space and he stands in front of Kell not dancing.

Vin says to Kell, "Um… you saved my life and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I uh, don't suppose you would, uh…"

Kell can't help but notice something odd about Vin's eyes. Then it hits her: they haven't fallen into her cleavage. His eyes are locked onto hers.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell gives Vin a warm smile. "I would be honored to. Assuming you're asking me to dance, that is. I suppose we have time for one before we go rescue the fiancées."

Kell finds that her heart has started pounding strangely and her hands are ever so slightly sweaty - something she's never experienced before - but she turns to face Vin and takes his hands, giving them a friendly squeeze as she starts dancing with him. The music is too loud for conversation, so she channels her nerves into the dance, first giving Vin a few moments to get warmed up, then adding a few spontaneous flourishes that match the music as the dance progresses.

Halfway through the dance, she pauses briefly to kick off her sandals and toss them to the side, finding that they make it difficult to get purchase in the soft sand of the beach. This allows her to increase the pace and complexity of her own dancing while not requiring Vin to do the same unless he wants to. She finds herself smiling. This is fun!


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Vin seems to be very surprised to see Kell is showing signs of nervousness. As a result, he shows more confidence. It's Kell who is leading Vin, but somehow Kell is leading him to lead. Vin can't kick off his shoes gracefully, so he waits for a moment between songs to do that.

Wilbur is trying to show Leto how his firearm works. Of his friend Vin, he says, "Holy shit!" Ben and Jerry open their mouths as well, but they say nothing.

As Vin and Kell continue to dance together, the rest of the crowd forms a large circle around them. The music intensifies and there are cheers and shouts of encouragement. A man and a woman (both clad in greenery, body paint and bone jewelry) look at each other. The woman says something, and the man replies, "Yeah, let's switch it up this time."

The man goes over to Sonja and she shrugs and replies. Then the man and woman have another conversation that can't be heard over the music.

Then the music stops.

The woman in the grass skirt and coconut shell top stands between the Wicker Bros. The man beside her is wearing banana leaves and only paint on his chest. His nipples are purposely encircled in paint to make his chest appear as a bespectacled head with a toothy grin across his bulging stomach. They introduce themselves as Koko and Nana.

Koko (the woman) holds up a sea shell tiara and says, "Kell Silvertide, please approach."

Nana holds a wicker crown (which looks more like a chef's hat than a crown) and says, "Vin..."

Vin calls out, "Cobbler."

Nana continues, "Vin Cobbler, please approach."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell regards the woman through narrowed eyes, glad she hasn't completely relaxed her guard. She picks up her sandals, mentally preparing to throw them at the pair as a distraction if she has to. "How do you know Vin's and my names? I've not spoken to anyone except members of my own party since I've been here."

She thinks, Helix, get out of the water and be prepared to help Vin and me make an escape if I say 'NOW'. There are people here who know my name whom I didn't give it to.