Ch.7: "Hot Fuzz" / Hesperides

[tbgg]

Kell tells the Mayor, "Speaking of Hera, we've been given to understand you have the authority to get someone an appointment with her? We have a number of issues we are hoping to discuss with her, the most urgent one being news of great import about her husband and another matter requiring the attention of her office, a most unusual wedding. What sorts of reasons are compelling enough to be allowed on her schedule?"


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The mayor says, "Well… I'll see what I can do, though you might need to get in line behind my daughter if this is about weddings."

"Dad!" Jessibelle folds her wings against her hips.

Light magic dims and brightens, signaling the end of the intermission.

Daphne waves to the dark-skinned swan dancer. As she heads back toward you, she has a very big smile on her face. A rooster man with a baby harpy swaddled against his breast gives her a curious stare. "b'GAWK?" he asks, but Daphne doesn't seem to notice him.

Mink Haggar says, "We can chat a little more on the way to our seats, Miss Silvertide, Miss Tofisdottir."

 

[tbgg]

Kell asks innocently, "Is Jessibelle engaged?"


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"No!" Jessibelle says defensively (though clearly annoyed by her dad, not Kell). "I'm not even DATING! Anyway I think you should be ahead of me in line if you have something to say about Zeus, don't you think so, Dad?"

"Yes dear," says the mayor. Then to Kell, he adds, "Zeus is a touchy subject for Hera, but if your message is for her ears only, I imagine the subject is touchy anyway. Like I said, I'll see what I can do."

 

[tbgg]

Kell says firmly, "It's something she REALLY needs to be aware of. If I were in her shoes, I'd be furious at anyone who withheld it from me."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ireth]

While Kell speaks with the mayor, Sigrlinn notices Daphne heading back toward her. She waves to Daphne and grins at the huge smile on her friend's face. "I take it things went well."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Daphne shrugs innocently. The mayor nods at Kell.

After that, the show goes on…

There are several dances that have themes of tea and coffee and chocolate and marzipan. One of the more memorable dances is performed by a tiny eastern fairy who plays the Plum Rice Fairy. She flits about on the rim of your balcony. Only yours!

It isn't until after the dance that you see several fairies converge onto the stage to take a bow. There are twenty-six in all—a fairy for each balcony, plus twenty more dancing over the people seated below.

Once Act II is over, the curtain closes. It will open again so all of the dancers and actors can bow to the crowd. The mayor stands up, and Piggie takes his cue.

"Standing ovation," she whispers.

You can see the people in the crowd below are taking the hint before the curtain even opens…

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn takes in the rest of the show in wide-eyed silence -- it's like nothing she's ever seen before. At the cue for a standing ovation, she rises along with everyone else as the dancers bow and she applauds.

Grinning, she turns to Daphne and says, "This was beautiful. Thank you for bringing me!"

 

[tbgg]

Kell grins in delight at the tiny Plum Rice fairy and at the end of the act rises to join the others in the standing ovation.

"This was lovely," she tells Piggie honestly. "Thanks for inviting me."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Daphne quacks and brushes a wing against one of Sigrlinn's wings.

Piggie replies, "My pleasure. You picked the right night to come to town. Not that we have a shortage of events that the mayor attends... but they're usually dull. Maybe you can convince Gerald to come to a ballet in the future. I mean tonight--you'll join us for dinner, won't you? And I believe we can make room for both of you in our guest house."



The curtain rises. As dancers and actors make their final bows, each group takes turns bowing and receiving flowers from any loved ones in the audience. The last of the Act I performers are the swans. Four of them are at the front of the stage to receive flowers. Three receive a flower from another swan woman, except for the dark-skinned swan.

The rooster man with the baby harpy gives the dark-skinned swan an impressive bouquet and a peck on the lips. His tail feathers fan as he tells the dancer, "b'GAWK!" The dancer brushes the baby's head with her wing. The small beaked harpy chirps with delight.

Daphne's beak is agape when she sees the dancer she was talking to is apparently married. Just the same, she flaps with enthusiastic applause for the swan dancer.



((You're basically halfway through a standing O, which will still go on during and after your next post. It's not a faux pas to talk to the person next to you. You just have to talk over clapping.))

 

[tbgg]

Kell asks Piggie, "So is the performance over, or is there another act? I hope that's not a dumb question, but I've never been to a ballet before."


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn gapes along with Daphne at the sight of the rooster man kissing the dark-skinned swan. "I guess it's better to find that out sooner rather than later, huh?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Daphne nods and seems to shrug off the whole she's-married/she's-straight thing. However, when the fairies come to their respective balconies, the fairy at your balcony is called over to an adjacent balcony. It turns out the three healer fairies are there. Each gives a fairy dancer a forget-me-not. Shirley says "toodle-oo" to the trio as they flutter to the stage giggling and exchanging bashful looks. Daphne sighs, but still seems in an overall cheerful mood.

As the various groups of Act II dancers come out, Piggie is explaining their roles to Kell.

"It's not a dumb question at all," she assures Kell. "Actually, this is a better dance than it is a story. Once the Mouse King is defeated in Act I, the only conflict is resolved. With the mice driven away, the Rice Plum Fairies are safe. They reward the Ice Princess not with riches, but with kindness… though kindness comes in the form of a feast of delicacies from every continent, which would actually be quite expensive."

The bowing and reception of flowers goes on longer, with the biggest bouquet going to the bear-woman who played the Ice Princess. The penguin who played the male lead gives conductor Wanda Wilhelmina a sea lily.

The clapping and cheering grows even louder. So loud you can hardly hear the mayor's "Yaaaah!"

—which is followed by a thud.

Jessibelle's shrieking is much more clear. You look over at her balcony, and already the samurai bunnies have weapons drawn—but they aren't fighting anyone. They're looking around, alarmed and suspicious.

Mayor Mink Haggar is lying face down between the front row and the stage. He came very close to landing in the tuba section, but it appears no one else is harmed besides the mayor. Master Kikuchiyo is checking for a pulse.

"Daddy!" Jessica cries, leaning over her balcony…

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn smiles as she watches the performers receiving flowers. Then the mayor's cry makes her jerk and whirl around. Seeing him unconscious, she leaps to her feet and hurries toward him to find out what's going on.

 

[tbgg]

Knowing she lacks healing abilities and trusting the three healer fairies or another healer to attend to the Mayor, Kell races to the land exit, looking around for the lynel and orangutan who spoke to the mayor during the Intermission. Does she see them anywhere?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sigrlinn
You fly down from he balcony! Daphne flies with you.

You can see the look of relief in Jessibelle's eyes as you fly to her father.

He is face down with a small dart in the back of his neck. Master Kikuchiyo pulls it out and one of his men starts sucking out the poison.

"That isn't actually necessary," he tells the man-bunny.

"But I thought…" The man-bunny is quick to shake off feelings of embarrassment. He starts to prop up the minotaur in a sitting position. The healer fairies use their magic.

Kikuchiyo looks ready to draw his blade as you swoop near, but he does not. "I take it you're here to assist."



Kelleia
You run out, and Piggie runs with you.

"Oh!" she says. "What do we—?"

Seeing that you're not panicking, Piggie follows you in silence until you get to the bottom of the stairs. She seems to get the gist of what you're doing.

"The lynel with the monkey on his back! Where are they?" she demands.

A man-bunny says, "Left after the intermission, Ms. Willems."

Another says, "They never returned here. We were watching for them."

The first speaks to you. He says with a bow, "You have the look of a samurai, Miss…"

 

[tbgg]

Curtsying, Kell replies, "Silvertide, and while I wouldn't call myself a samurai, my friend Sigrlinn and I have brought down a few baddies in our travels, including a corrupt judge, a breel, and a demon and his 20+ human henchmen, to name a few."

She turns to Piggie. "We should go speak to Jessibelle if we can." Then she heads back inside to find the Mayor's daughter.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Kell
You start toward Jessible's balcony.

Piggie says, "I'll check on the mayor…"




Sigrlinn
You hear a series of blasts—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! …BANG!—which renders Jessibelle's sustained shriek almost inaudible.

The three healer fairies zip back. They look upward, horrified.

"Jessibelle!" Piggie screams.

"QVAAAAAKT!!" Daphne darts up to Jessibelle's balcony.

The mayor sits up. "Juh… Jess?"

Master Kikuchiyo draws his sword and points toward the Haggars' balcony. His men shout "Hai!" in unison and hop to it!



Kell
You move faster and faster toward the source of the sound. After the final BANG! you see a man-bunny tumble down the stairs toward you. A quarter of his head is missing.

You keep going!

At the top of the steps is a huge hole in the wall, five more dead man-bunnies, and a bloody mess!

 

[tbgg]

Ch.7: "Hot Fuzz" / Hesperides

Kell peers through the hole in wall, looking for either Jessibelle or evidence of where the hole leads. For good measure, she also checks the bloody mess for evidence of the Mayor's daughter.

((Basically I want to make sure Kell won't fall if she steps through the hole.))


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn nods as Master Kukichiyo addresses her. "Yes, in any way I can." She looks at the dart, then all around. "I could try and track whoever did this. I doubt they'll have gone far yet, and flying will let me move faster than on foot."

She jumps at the series of bangs, her eyes narrowing. "Sounds like I was right!" Then she leaps into the air again, heading toward the balcony and wishing she hadn't left her bow in Daphne's nest.