Side One, Ep.2 "Double Dog Dare"

[Legendary Sidekick]

Esmerelda's Garden

Sage wakes up at the sound of a bell hanging on the door. "Gramma?" The nine-year-old girl sees Beatrice and runs up to her. "I'm Sage!" she says. "I saw you playing The Maiden... and then I saw you weren't just playing. Me and my friends were all... I mean..." She smiles as if stifling an urge to laugh. "I suppose I was dreaming that... never mind."

Esmerelda hobbles out in a robe. She holds her granddaughter close and says, "Welcome! By all means, please, make yourself at home." She leads Vincent, Diana and Beatrice to the lobby.

Vincent senses visions of the children falling dead, Diana rushing the hooded men, and Vincent on top of the red shrine battling the demoness. He does not sense any annoyance at having to wake up at this ungodly hour. She is honored to have such heroes as guests, and she is very stubborn. She will insist on giving them her best room for free.

Handing Vincent a key, she says, "Sage will show you to your room. I will prepare the bath."



When Diana mentions the wings, Beatrice signs, I think you will enjoy them. I sometimes wish I could take the form of a pixie and just fly around. Of course my mortal form is not a toy. I am here for a purpose, and I know you will try to find a practical use for your wings.

But enjoy them too. Enjoy learning to use them, like when you a beginner learning to use a shield.

Beatrice takes her own advice when Sage stops to pick flowers for the room. She joins the younger girl, and even takes Sage's advice as the child tells Bee how long the stem is supposed to be, which combination has the best smell and looks prettiest, how many flowers they need for each section of the room...

Diana can't keep track of Sage's words, as the little girl is excited about Bee's company. Vincent's mind-reading helps him keep up with the rapid, mostly-one-sided conversation. He senses that Sage is excited about being so easily accepted by an older kid. She did hear that Bee is truly The Maiden, but that the older kid is a Goddess on Earth is barely an afterthought.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

I can't help but smile at Esmeralda's stubborn insistence that we take the best room at no cost. I thank her as her granddaughter shows us to our room.

It's just as lovely as I imagined it would be. The scents of many flowers hang in the air, but it is not too overpowering. Sage is delighted with Bee's company, and their conversation consists mostly of Sage's side of things. I watch the younger girl bustle around the room as Diana and I set our luggage down at the foot of one of the beds. I take out a fresh outfit to wear for breakfast at the dojo, since what I'm wearing now probably smells like, well, a sewer.

When the bath is ready, I slip gratefully into the hot water beside Diana. It's tempting to soak in the water until it starts to get cold, but I remember one of the Dans saying they would have a meal prepared in an hour's time. It wouldn't do to show up late. We hand the soap back and forth as we wash ourselves and each other.

What do you think Ariel has been doing for the past couple of days? Diana signs when her hands are free.

I smile and answer aloud. "Probably feasting on roast buffadillo and making fluffy slippers out of jackalopes. I'm sure she's fine." I say that partly because I believe it, and partly because I don't want to ruin these few moments of peace with thoughts of what might be happening otherwise. If more demons are abroad, searching far and wide for Bee...

Nope, not thinking about that. Now is the time for cleaning up, then eating and sleeping. Preferably in that order.

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I look at my trusty muse.

"Well Mariya, what shall we do now? Get a room at the inn? Go to Lara's to buy clothes, or simply sit down and have a meal? We haven't eaten for days, maybe weeks! It's lucky I'm a princess and have a strong constitution!"

Little does she know that I have a magic sandwich making device in my pocket given to me by the old wizard, Zopey, many moons ago. I also have an enchanted flask gifted me on my first birthday by a good fairy friend, which usually provides drinks when needed.

How else could one survive at tedious royal gatherings and on impossible quests such as this?

 

[Noma Galway]

"Well, I'm sure we don't need to buy more clothes from Lara. The Dans made food, and cut portions small enough for us pixies, so I do want to eat that. And Pidge offered to let Muziko, Riff, and I stay in her Pixie Palace tonight. So maybe we should eat. And if you want me to stay with you tonight, I will. I'd suggest going to Esmerelda's, Princess."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

On the way to the dojo...

Muziko hops on Fenella's shoulder next to Mariya. "Well, I suggest we talk about this while we eat. Casting all those bubble spells made me hungry!"

Pidge climbs up onto Fenella's other shoulder. "I would think you two would be thirsty after singing your magic all the time."

"That's why every muse knows the Water Song... right Mariya?"

Pidge ask a question for Mariya as well. "Is it alright for all of us to be climbing a princess like this?"



Within earshot of the baths...

Beatrice and Sage are talking about what the heroes have done.

Sage has all kinds of questions like, "So one demon's a big eye... is another like a hand or something?"

"Actually, yes," says Beatrice. "It was one body with seven souls. A very large body! My parents thought The Warrior defeated it, but the creature was merely split into parts. Soon, others were set free from--"

"From The Underworld?" Sage asks.

The younger girl's tone suggests she's interested in Bee's stories, but unaware of any danger these demons might present to her or the world in general. The girls converse some more, though the conversation makes an abrupt switch to topics such as flowers, clothing... and Bee asks what a young girl would consider to be fun.

"I met Cindy and Sandy, and now you... but I don't know how to... play. I just talk, and that's fun for me. But am I a boring kid?"

"I don't think so," Sage says. "But here's a game..."

Vincent can't see what it is that makes Bee laugh, but he hears her question: "How do you get it to keep spinning around like that?"

"You just move your hips, like this! See?"

"Why?"

"'Cause it's fun!"

Vincent hears something clatter to the ground, and the girls laugh again.

Bee says, "I guess even if I do it wrong, it's fun!"

"Yeah," says Sage. "This isn't the kind of game you can lose."

Again, something clatters to the ground. Bee asks, "Are you sure?"

 

[Noma Galway]

I laugh. "Exactly! It's very useful." I look at Pidge. "I do it all the time...but you may want to ask her." She didn't seem to have a problem with Muziko.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

I listen curiously as Bee and Sage discuss the recent battles, and what we're really up against. So we're killing a huge demon one part at a time? I'm not sure if that's more intriguing or unnerving. Bit of both, really.

The girls' conversation turns to happier things, and I smile, listening to them play. I'm glad Bee is learning to act like a regular kid, not just a goddess in human form. I wonder what Ariel would think of having a divine "cousin"? And what about Dom? Bee could pass as his daughter, at least as far as looks go, but he has no children of his own yet, and he's been married for less time than I have. He'd probably be willing to act the part, though, and his wife could pass for Bee's stepmother.

I think of the other mortal deities I've seen in town. If I'm going to adopt gods into my family, even informally, I should learn more about who's who! The man in the golden boots, I suspect might be Jack. And the nun... his wife, no doubt. I can't recall offhand who Jack is married to. I'll have to ask Bee when I see her next.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The Princess and the Pixies

Pidge asks Fenella, "Um… now that I'm up here, would you mind giving me a ride back to the dojo? I think the Dans have something edible there, which is a little oniony but I'm sure it must be healthy or something."


Esmerelda's Garden, Outside the Baths

Beatrice calls out to Vincent and says, "No rush, but were you planning to eat at the dojo or rest here for the night?"



((I'll start Episode 3 soon, possibly during the week. I'll have Beatrice and all player characters gathered at breakfast—or the Dans' if that ends up making more sense—and that will be the time to reveal more plot stuff. A hint: interacting with Bee is the best way to obtain knowledge. I won't info-dump, at least not intentionally.))

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

"I'd like to eat sooner rather than later, if possible," I say to Beatrice. "Do you think Esmeralda would mind if we went to the dojo for a meal and then came back here to sleep?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Extremely Early Breakfast at the Dans' (About 4:00 a.m.)

Dan V serves his allegedly famous onion soup as an appetizer. Dan IV insists that the soup tastes best after you wash it down with some sake. Dan III serves rice tea to Beatrice, and Pidge serves plum wine to the pixies.

Beatrice says, "It's become clear to me that everyone here is committed to protecting the innocent, but I imagine the question that has come up most is: 'what are we protecting them from?'

"The Earthly forms of the demons dates back almost two thousand years. This is before my time, but from what my parents told me, there were necromancers and summoners who learned how to contact, and even raise, the dead. The Twelve—as my parents and the others were referred to at the time—did not wish to intervene. My father and the others were only meant to keep the world itself safe. I mean, from drifting into a star or something. Oh, I suppose that would require explanation as well. One revelation at a time.

"As far as people meddling with powers beyond their comprehension or control… free will. It's what my father wanted. It's what the Great Grandfather wanted. I want that, too. Unfortunately, there were two demonesses from the old world. They tempted Holst and other deities of his generation to join them. There were seven in all, and all of them were summoned to the mortal world. They were summoned at once in a single body. A very large body.

"The Seven-Soul Demon was revered as both a god and an instrument of war. The Warrior's own daughter seemed to be in charge, and The Warrior himself took responsibility and destroyed the monster. To make a long story short, the demon burst into seven pieces when struck in the heart by The Warrior's blade. He believes that only his daughter was sent to the world of the dead, while the rest of the parts drifted into the sea, souls intact.

"They are now on The Other Side—the other side of this very planet, as they have been for nearly two thousand years.

"Fifteen hundred years ago, just before the time of my birth, my father went to The Other Side and spoke to one of the demons." Turning to Mariya, She says, "That would be your brother, Pedri. Perhaps my father still believed his nephew could be reasoned with… in any case, there was an agreement. The demons could have their side of the world, as long as they stay away from the human side.

"Of course you already know that the agreement has been breached."

Bee realizes she's giving everyone a lot of information, and at four o'clock in the morning to boot. She pauses to sip some tea, then looks around to see if anyone has a question.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

I listen in gut-wrenching horror to Beatrice's tale. A giant demon in seven pieces? That makes sense, given what we've seen of Holst. I shudder to think of what the other demons will be. One is a hand, as Bee said before... Ugh, what would that make Tsul? I pity the women in our company if my guess is true.

"Will destroying all seven body parts destroy the demons entirely?" I ask aloud. "Or just their flesh-and-blood forms?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((Tsul will be something that I can draw on a family-friendly site. But… yeah. Somebody had to have the below-the-belt parts.))


Beatrice replies, "A soul cannot be destroyed—not mine, not yours, not the demons'—but Holst's soul is now banished. The place he is in is often referred to as Hell, though Holst's 'domain' isn't all fire and torture or anything like that. There isn't much of anything going on in his 'circle of Hell.'

"The rest will be banished as well, once their bodies are destroyed. As long as no one is foolish enough to summon them back, their reign on The Other Side will end when all of them are defeated."