Mission: The Lost Mine of Phandelver

[Natealie]

It was finally time. After weeks and weeks of preparation it was finally time. Hours had been spent memorizing maps and generating npcs, creating monsters and deciding to throw that all out at the last second and to just use a premade adventure. Not that those assets wouldn't be used later, just that they probably wouldn't be appropriate for a group of new players. Regardless, Nix was ready to DM.

They got to work as soon as they reached the table, setting up their DM Screen and laying out their resources. Nix had the adventure book and several character sheets. They also had a copy of each of the main books that they would need: The Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. There were also additional Player's Handbooks for their players to use, as the players would need them as well.

It had taken quite a bit of effort, but now Nix was ready. It was time to go on an adventure.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory
(AKA Fizgig the Wizard)
​

Aaron trundled into the library, trying his very best not to geek out too awfully hard. He had been so excited though, when Nix had asked him to be the faculty sponsor. He was honestly surprised to discover kids were still playing pen and paper games this far into the internet age. Swan had proven very difficult to convince of the innocuous nature of this diversion. Given the way some of Aaron's previous projects had turned out, perhaps that was fair play. But then again, this wasn't for CD&Y. It had an ampersand in it, and that was where the similarity began and ended. D&D was the great great granddaddy of all role playing games, and in his opinion, there was no better way to teach kids about teamwork, heroism and sacrifice. Not safely anyway. The real world seldom offered lessons as profound as this game could do without exacting an equally profound personal cost. For now, they could do without that part. They were children. Learning to be heroes should be fun at this age. Learning the costs was a lesson for another day.

He eased into his special chair on the DM's left and handed him the draft character sheet.

"So this is fifth edition, right? Old school, ran from the late teens to the early twenties? I cut my teeth on third back in the mid-oughts, did a bit of 4th in the tweens, but never played 6th or 7th. I was... away for those."

"Anyway, I was thinking maybe a wizard? Human. Ferdinand Giragirio, nicknamed FizGig by his master. He's an old man apprenticed to an elvish wizard and he's never done anything but book learning his whole life, right? But now he's found his familiar, and it is a turtle. And he wants to go out and experience the world finally, before he's too old. I drew a picture, see? That's his turtle. But... I mean... ...It's not like I'm that attached to the idea. Like if everybody wants to be the wizard, I could be a cleric I guess? Or a fighter. Do you know what the other students will be playing yet?"

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Lara Hart	Rank: D
Power: Flight	Attire: Red T-shirt with D&D symbol on front, light brown leather jacket with wings bulging from underneath it, khaki shorts
Tagged: Natealie (Nix), Gus (Aaron)

Finally finding the room, Lara hesitated just outside with her character sheet in hand. She'd printed off a couple pages in the format she was used to, but was uncertain if this DM would like it. Maybe she should've clarified before she showed up. Dang it.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Lara glanced down at a belt loop on the front of her shorts, which had a small leather pouch hanging off of it. Inside were her personal set of dice, though they'd aged a bit since she hadn't played in a year or so. Her last group had been back in Britain. Since she moved to America, she'd yet to find another group to join. She'd made a few friends at Facility 108, but didn't know if any of them played.

Taking a deep breath, Lara then opened the door and entered the room. Seeing Nix and Mr. Mallory already inside, Lara froze mid-step. She'd really been banking on another student player having been here before she came. Curse her inability to be late to anything.

Resisting the urge to rub the back of her neck again, Lara instead gave an awkward wave to the two present. It just had to be the one in charge and the adult looking over everything. Awkward. She overheard the question regarding a mage and was relieved to know she always played a druid. She wouldn't be a conflict for Mr. Mallory.

"Well, um, hi, guys. I guess I didn't get lost then."
She awkwardly laughed before realizing that her laughter only made this more awkward.
"Anyways, I brought my character sheet and I'm not a mage, so no worries there. I always play a druid if I can."

Moving to sit down two seats away from Mr. Mallory, Lara then handed her character sheet to him so that he could pass it on to Nix.

 

[AllHailDago]

Melody Elanna Vance

​

Location: Library
Current Mood: Nervous yet excited
Current form: Human

Melody looked down at her character sheet with a small, mildly prideful smile and back up at the door to the library. She hadn't originally been sure about this when she saw a flyer in one of the halls. However, it turned out to be easy to look up, and hours of fun just reading and making her character. She looked forward to what kind of fun she could have actually playing. Though she was admittedly nervous about what the others might think about her novice knowledge of the game. She wiped her hands one at a time on her jeans and fiddled with a teardrop shaped rainbow gem dangling from a silver chain over a plain black, long sleeve shirt.

Thinking on Juliana's words about shining and color and such she built up confidence enough to go through the door. The confidence withered a bit as she saw three other people gathered around a table. One of them was a teacher, two others were students. She wasn't great at remembering names very often so who each person was escaped her. Though she knew she at least recognized them. Hopefully she hadn't talked to them at length and forgotten their name! She made her way to the table with a nervous glance or two towards the door and teacher, and took a seat where she could clearly see the door and majority of the room.

She set down her character sheet and meekly pulled one of the gathered Player's Handbooks to her spot. She enjoyed the sensation of having the actual book in her hands for several moments. Sometimes it really was better to have the book than the internet in her opinion, though she bet others would find that weird. This book in particular had to be decades older than her too! She caught herself smiling and reeled in her enthusiasm before looking up at those gathered. "Hello everyone. I... I made a druid if that's okay?" She really hoped it was. She had put a lot into her character creation in her opinion.

Natealie Necessity4Fun Gus

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Aiden Eillie Fowler

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Library
People Around: The blurry man is probably a teacher, then there's three girls? They look like girls.
Interactions: AllHailDago (Well, just because Melody is probably right there beside him now >w<)

*Feeling a mix of shyness and excitement*

Coming out from the 108's library after a reading session, Aiden had been walking up the corridor, out and back towards the classrooms. He liked the library a lot, it was great to go there and read all kinds of stories he didn't have at home. He just wouldn't dare take any with him though, since he could possibly ruin them, specially with his power. That would be truly a disaster! The boy would never forgive himself by 'harming' a book in any way, even if he didn't mean for it to happen.

As he passed however, something unusual caught his attention, it was a colorful poster. Curious, Aiden approach it and was surprised to see it was an invite to a D&D table, written in gold letters. He stopped, pondering whether or not to sign up for it. Unable to make a decision in the occasion, he wrote down the instructions on a notepad so he wouldn't forget about it. Sure sounded like fun, but the teenager wasn't completely sold on the idea, yet.

.

Watching the library doors' from deep in the corridor, Aiden had reached just in time to see a girl enter. So, this meant there were people inside. He gulped down in apprehension. Introductions. Introductions were always hard and he was extremely shy as well, to make it all even harder.
Approaching the door and discreetly opening it just a bit, the boy peeked at the conversation going inside. They seemed to be discussing their characters' classes. The teen took a step back, away from the door and then a deep breath. He didn't know anyone in there, yet. Also he really wanted to play:

"Come on, why is this so hard?", he asked himself, "This is silly, I'm being silly.", there was another deep breath, "In the count of three. One. Two..."

He stepped inside, accidentally handling the door with too much force. Everyone would be aware of his presence now. Aiden sank into himself, shyly taking more steps forward, further inside the room:

"Uhh, excuse me? Is this... the D&D meeting?", he ended up making a question he knew the answer for. Ugh, the boy could barely make eye contact with anyone, wishing to hide into his sweater or something of the sort, but it was too late to back down now, "Actually, forget that question... I was listening..."

There was a long pause, before he finally had the courage to speak up again, "I uhh, I have a Bard, if that's fine?", he tensed up, holding the notebook he had brought along ,-which contained the character sheets inside, so they would be better protected-, a bit tighter.

But then he saw it! The Handbook over the table! And it seemed to be in such a good state too!
In contrast to his behavior thus far, Aiden approached said table, rather fast, ignoring everything else. He looked at the book in an expression of utmost disbelief, but also delight:

"Is that the actual Dungeons & Dragons 5e Player's Handbook?! It's so well preserved! Looks like new. So much better than in the digital editions too! Nothing tops having an actual book."

 

[Natealie]

Nix smiled. They were quite content now. Worries had plagued them that nobody would show up, but already several people had arrived. This made them very happy, as D&D was a hobby of theirs which they really did like to share with others. Well, that and their power made them stupidly good as a DM and a storyteller in general.

"Well then, let me address everything now." The Dungeon Master began. "I personally believe that you should be able to play whatever you want, so it's fine if you want to play a wizard for example. Also by the way I like the idea of a turtle familiar. It's pretty awesome." Smiled the speaker. "Also guys feel free to sit down. I still need to look over sheets but it won't take long, as I'm very familiar with this edition." They then turned their attention to the boy looking at the book. He seemed very excited about it, and Nix could relate, though maybe not for the same reason. "Like it? I try to get physical copies whenever possible. Granted I still have all of the information on my tablet, but if I can get a book in print I go for that first. Never know when you'd lose power and need a way to entertain your family during a storm or something after all. But yeah, I have all of the 5th edition books." Nix shared proudly. Their D&D collection was as impressive as their video game library.

At this point Nix then took each character sheet available and began to go over them. It was like looking at a machine processing things, as they checked any sheet for inconsistencies and corrected misspellings and other small errors, adding notes as to what was wrong and why it was changed. Nix was the DM after all, so this was all fair.

Necessity4Fun AllHailDago Lioness075 Gus

 

[Teh Frixz]

Penelope
(AKA: Devvi Peltbright)
Ranger 1

​

All this goings on in the library was well and good, the volume of the groups conversation at an acceptable level for now. This soon came to an end.

Clinking and clunking up and into the library came a largish egg shaped pod balancing on wobbly yet thick legs. The white ceramic walls of the main pod reflected the eyes of the soon to be adventurers back at them. A few more carefully measured steps and the pod settled down at the table beside Aaron.

The egg cracks open slowly in the front, a bright blue light leaking out that diminished as the crack widened. A clear yet equally thick plastic appeared behind the light....

"Wassup dorks, are we gonna EE ARE PEE or what?" And with that eloquent comment, Penny mushed her face against the glass, pulling her cheeks and sticking her tongue on the glass.

Pulling back with a smug grin, Penny was obviously pleased. She'd been waiting for a great excuse to whip out the first in hopefully a long series of mobile containment units, small series. She'd had it for about a month, the unit being put through testing the entire time. Able to withstand even the most intense bursts of particle radiation and so far had a 100% containment rate for nearly 12 hours. Not that she was planning to be out of her room for 12 hours, despite the formidable amount of snacks she managed to fit inside.

"We all ready to go?"

 

[Natealie]

Nix smiled as they finished up reviewing the character sheets. Yes, everything seemed to be in order. Nothing was too crazy and they were all appropriately balanced for the adventure that laid out before them. This was good, better than good as Nix thought that they might have to go over some details or help somebody with their sheet. They were pleasantly surprised as several of the people here had never played before.

"Well then, I've reviewed everything and if all of you are ready then I'd like to begin. Before that though I have something for you all." The Game Master smiled and handed each of them two things. The first was a bag containing an array of dice in a myriad of colors. This would ensure that they always had the correct dice to roll. The second was a cookie that was shaped like a D20. It looked amazing and delicious. "I put those together myself, so I hope that you make good use of those dice. that and I hope that you enjoy my cooking."

"Also Penny, I've been told about your situation. So I can make you cookies another time if you'd like, or you can just take that one with you. Whatever's easiest for you. And if you'd like me to roll dice for you in case your suit makes it difficult I don't mind at all." Nix told the woman. It was important to be able to help players when need be after all.

"With all of that being said and done. I believe that we are ready to begin." Nix announced, finally sitting down behind their Dungeon Master Screen at the head of the table. "Please introduce yourselves to each other, but do it in character." This was how Nix always began their games. It helped to set the stage for roleplaying and such. It was one of their many little subtle tricks that they used to make these games even more amazing.

Gus Necessity4Fun Teh Frixz Lioness075 AllHailDago

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Aiden Eillie Fowler

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Library
People Around: The blurry man who is probably a teacher, there people that look like girls (but it's bad to assume!) and then there's someone inside the egg-shaped thing too. (Interesting...)
Character: Theadric Melilot (Lv.1 Bard)
Interactions: Natealie , Teh Frixz

Of all the things I could have said, why did I ask that?!! I'm so stupid!

Absolutely entranced by the Player Handbook, Aiden had jerked his head in surprise when a brown haired student -that he had completely forgotten was there- started talking. Realising he had just accidentally ignored everyone else in the room, the boy took a step back letting a low 'Oh! I'm sorry!' to apologise without exactly interrupting.
it seemed this person was the DM. He had assumed it would be the older man in the group, but a younger student? That was so cool! So, it wasn't just his friend Mark's group that played tabletop RPGs, other people did too! This really made the teen wonder where the geeky/nerdy groups had been hiding in the couple last places he had been to. Playing games with others was the best! He had certainly missed it!

Hearing that it was okay for them to play whatever they wanted made the boy extremely glad. He would have hated to step on another person's toes, no matter if he hadn't meant it. Bard had always been his favorite class, but Aiden would have changed it if he got asked to, without a second thought. He'd rather do what the others decided, instead of causing a problem for them. He really despised fighting...

Then they all had been told to sit, but still feeling anxious and shy the teen had decided to do so last. He wanted to get a bit acquainted with the place and the people first, despite it being inevitable that he'd have to sit that close to them, and clear he wouldn't have as much time as he'd like before that.
Part of him was still in doubt. Why had he come if didn't know any of these people and thus wouldn't be comfortable alongside them? Aiden didn't know the answer for it, or rather, he didn't know if the reasons he had come up with were enough to justify it: The game obviously and then, maybe make friends?
Which would be great, if he didn't feel so overwhelmed... Argh, curse his introversion!

"Like it?"​

The question had instantly taken the boy out of his conflicting thoughts. Instead, he looked directly back at the DM as the student told him about their D&D book collection. Aiden was terrified at first, having widening his eyes in a mix of surprise and panic:

"Are they talking to me?! Oh my god, I need to reply now! H-how, What... Brain, help me not say anything stupid!!"

"Y-y-y-yeah! Yeah, I, like it!", he shook his head, "I mean, I love it! That's really cool. So, your house it's like a museum of old games?! Must be an awesome place! ...I-I think...", the boy finished with an awkward laugh.
"Ahhh that was awful! Someone shoot me dead in the spot right now! ...With a freaking shotgun!"

Instead of having his request attended, something even weirder happened. A egg-like thing showed up and started walking towards them, each step as noisy as the other. If the teenager have been feeling overwhelmed before, now he was on the edge of having an attack! By the time the aberration in white had sat down, Aiden was already about a meter far from the table, eyes fixed on the alien thing.
He stayed like that for a while, breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm himself. The whistling sound was back, that faint, faint whistling noise that indicated that things could go bad soon. At least it was just the whistling sound, as long as it was just that, there wasn't any real emergency. His hand had instinctively drifted inside his messenger's bag in search of the inhaler. He didn't actually need it yet, but it was always reassuring to know where it was for when he DID.
And then the oval shape with legs managed the most unexpected, it spoke:

"WAIT. There's a person inside that?! Is it, some type of costume?", the boy was utterly confused, though also curious.

Whoever was inside that suit (?) was a very energetic and loud person, the exact opposite of him. Aiden liked this type of people. They really knew how to get the group motivated and such... Perhaps this wasn't going to be as bad as his doubts were constantly suggesting.

The student that was their DM -god he didn't even know anyone's names yet!- spoke again. Seeing as dice were being distributed to everyone, Aiden figured out his time for adapting was up. Still a bit weary, he made his way to the table, sitting right beside the egg pod suit thing. In front of him were put both a bag of dice and a cookie shaped like one. Had this been people he actually knew, the teenager would have been comfortable enough to eat it right there. Instead he just stayed on his seat, unmoving. His gaze moved from the cookie, to the others and then the cookie again. In the middle of his dilemma, he let out an almost inaudible nervous whimper, completely distracted from the rest of what the brown haired student had said.
In the end, he did not have the courage to be the first one to get said cookie.

"Come on, one person! Just talk to one more person in this table..."

Gulping, Aiden turned around to the person inside the weird costume and said the first thing that went through his head:

"...What are you supposed to be cosplaying as?"

Then he instantly looked away, reprimanding himself mentally over the stupid question he had just made.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Penelope Urbain
Devvi Peltbright
Ranger 1

​

God it felt tooo good. Penny's smile so wide it was starting to hurt. It was like taking the joy of fucking with people online into real life. Even inside her egg it was still extremely refreshing. She pulsed in delight, the lighting under the egg thrumming in a cheerful pattern as she emitted a wave of lethal radiation.


"No no, it's cool dude. I've got..this...thingamajig...hang on." She turned around inside her confined space and began tossing things around as she searched for the key she needed. A moment passes and she realigned herself within before continuing. "I can use this key" she holds it up to demonstrate "and unlock this panel here allowing me access to a pair of gloves I can use...check it out. Snacks I'm good on.

Penny turned the key and an opening in the front of the egg slid down allowing two, almost rubberlike, 'gloves' for Penelope to use to roll and write on her sheet. But instead promptly made a rude one fingered gesture and cackled.

"I'm not cosplaying anyone. That's for paying customers only, I'm a super working for Aegis. You've never heard of Fuel Rod? The Plutonium Princess? The Atomic Angel? Radioactive Ravisher? It's all me baby." Penny promptly lights up a cigarette inside her egg, speaking as she lights it with her fingertips, bombarding the cigarette with enough localized rads to ignite. Taking a deep breath of it she laughs.

"I'm the most radioactive thing on the planet and probably off it too. And you are sitting right next to me or rather you are sitting beside...."

Penny stands up in her egg, posing mightily. "DEVVI PELTBRIGHT. I am a forest gnome ranger cast from my home and my clans after committing the terrible crimes of poaching and stealing expensive animals. I make my living now by acting as paid escort for colonists into the woods."

"Tiny and good with a bow! Who are you guys? "

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Lara Hart	Rank: D
Power: Flight	Attire: Red T-shirt with D&D symbol on front, light brown leather jacket with wings bulging from underneath it, khaki shorts
Tagged: Natealie (Nix), Gus (Aaron), AllHailDago (Melody), Necessity4Fun (Aiden), Teh Frixz (Penelope)

Lara smiled warmly at the new student who had decided to join them. She wasn't sure if she'd learned the girl's name yet or not, but surely now was a better time than never!
Giving a little wave to get the student's attention, Lara then said, "Hi! I don't think we've properly met before. I'm Lara and my power is flight via my very own set of wings."
Grinning after mentioning her power, Lara shuffled her wings a bit, making the feathery bulge underneath her jacket a bit more noticeable.

Seeing the new student pick up one of the extra Player's Handbooks, Lara almost face palmed at the fact that she'd missed those copies. Snagging one herself, Lara decided to pass the time by reading from the very beginning of the book, as the DM needed time to review the character sheets anyways. After a couple seconds of starting the first paragraph, Lara realized she'd just started a conversation and abruptly ended it by reading.
Rubbing the back of her neck as she put the book down, Lara looked at the new student with an embarrassed expression before apologizing, "Sorry about that. I love reading a ton and sometimes forget my social etiquettes as a result."

Before the conversation could progress any further, the door suddenly was slammed open and Lara jumped a little in her seat. Looking at the newcomer, Lara had to wonder if she'd know any of the students joining the game. It was a bit more exciting to not know everyone, though. Who knew what kinda hilarious encounters and interactions were going to bloom from this odd group?

The lack of social etiquette was painfully obvious with this guy and Lara was surprised when he said he was going to be a Bard. Was he even willing to sing and get into character despite how he was acting now? Lara hoped he was ready to do so. A Bard unwilling to sing, crappily or not, was no fun.

Smiling again when the boy was more than excited about the nicely-handled Player's Handbooks, Lara jumped into the conversation, "Right? I always buy my books in person and not online. I actually need a bigger bookcase back home because my current one is filled to the brim!"

Suddenly recalling what the new student had announced her character as, Lara pondered out loud, "Is it okay if there are two druids in the party? I mean, I plan on making mine focus on her wild shape more than anything else."

The DM quickly addressed all of their concerns including Lara's. She was on top of her game, that was for sure. Lara wished all DMs were well-prepared like this. Hearing that the DM had every single 5th edition book, Lara's jaw dropped and she awkwardly stared for probably a second or two too long. Realizing this with a start, Lara quickly shut her mouth.
"Woah, that's awesome! I already basically spend all of my allowance on novels and manga each week. I'd probably have to ask for the 5th edition books for my birthday or maybe Christmas."

Lara froze when she heard a mechanical noice approaching the room they were in. Frowning, she glanced at the door to see who was approaching. When the big egg-like contraption entered the room and then sat down, Lara's perplexed expression remained. She only grew more perplexed when the person within the contraption suddenly licked their window. What in the world was happening right now? Lara thought she'd seen it all at this facility and in this city, but clearly not yet. She then realized what the person had said and made a disgusted expression before saying, "Okay, no ERPing while I'm around. That's just disgusting, no thank you."

When the DM took over the conversation again, and surprisingly calmly, Lara decided to focus on the fun stuff and not the weird stuff. Seeing the myriad of colors available to her, Lara let out a little squeal of delight and dumped out her die just so she could admire all of the colors. Then noticing the cookie given to her as well, Lara immediately took a bite out of it, effectively devouring a quarter of it already. This cookie would not last long. Letting out a sigh of relief, Lara then said, "Oh my gosh, this cookie is amazing, Nix!"

Then hearing it was introductions time, Lara grew a bit quiet and more subdued. While she liked the opportunity of new interactions with people she didn't know, it was always a bit off-putting to have to do the introductions before she knows anyone.

Before Lara even got a chance to build up the courage to do so, one of the other students asked the person in the egg if she was cosplaying. While this had not occurred to Lara as a possibility, she couldn't help but quietly giggle at the concept. What would they even be cosplaying as? An egg?

Seeing the person's 'hands' and the finger gesture, Lara could only roll her eyes and hope their character wasn't as boisterous as they were. The lack of a proper name for their personal introduction left Lara feeling like it'd been a really pointless introduction. Before she could even mention this, the person leapt into their character introduction.

Not liking to kill the mood already, but feeling this were necessary, Lara awkwardly raised her hand before saying, "Um, so, I don't know about everyone else here, but I don't know everyone's name...in real life. Shouldn't we, at least, introduce ourselves before introducing our characters and getting into the game itself?"

 

[Gus]

FizGig the Wizard
(played by Aaron Mallory)
​

Aaron kept quiet as Nix went over the character sheets and the other students showed up one by one. He was pleasantly surprised to see Penny finally taking her mobile unit out for a spin, especially for such a geeky social interaction as this. He'd not have had her pegged as an RPr, but it seemed a great place to start. So many of her online interactions were toxic. D&D would be a nice safe way for her to get some face time in. He wished she wouldn't smoke though; first of all it set a bad example for the students, but more importantly, he'd told her a hundred times if she managed to give herself lung cancer, she'd be up a creek. Any tumors her body produced would be immune to radiation, and chemotherapy would be similarly useless as her body would break the the chemicals down too quickly for them to work. Nominally, she was old enough to decide for herself, but thinking back to his own mind state at 22, he was inclined to keep after her about it. Deciding now was not the time to fight that fight he did no more than raise an eyebrow at her.
His ears perked up when Nix called for an in character introduction, but then Lara requested an OC one. Aaron decided to hybridize. Putting on a thin reedy voice, he spoke up.

"Well hello there, my fellow adventurers. I am Ferdinand Geragirio, newly graduated pupil of Master Crestmoon. This is my familiar Harriet Yertle. We are pleased to make your acquaintance Milady Peltbright! I sense you follow the guidance of a bright star indeed, perhaps one of the constellation of URBAIN?" Here he pauses, he gestures emphatically toward Penny, scribbles her name and the name of Devi Peltbright, gnomish ranger on a piece of paper, before continuing... "I myself am guided by a Dark Star in the southern sky known as Solo, for it stands apart. Many take its darkness to be a sign of destruction and ill intent, but the great Sage AARON MALLORY teaches us that Solo merely makes a study of destruction the better to teach us how best to prevent it." He adds his name to the paper, along with Ferdinand Geragirio, human wizard. "My studies of magic tend in that direction, due to entirely to his influence. Now, I don't believe I caught the names of either of our druids; strange to see two in such close proximity! Master Crestmoon taught that Druids are generally solitary, but that I suppose is the difference between book learning and real world experience, is it not? I sense a sort of MELODY adVANCEing around your person..." Scribble, scribble. "Whereas for you Master Druid of the first instance, I sense in you something of the spirit of the raven do I not? Perhaps a LARk? Or A HART?" He adds Lara's name to the paper with a blank for charcter name, followed by druid. And you, Master Bard... I presage that you will come to our AID EN the nick of time before we meet a FOWLER fate." Finally, he adds the name of Aiden Fowler, blank, and bard to the sheet, adds arrows pointing to each occupied part of the table, with a sixth arrow indicating NIX, DM, DO NOT PROVOKE.

 

[AllHailDago]

Melody Elanna Vance

​

Location: Library
Current Mood: Unsurety
Current form: Human

Melody had been reading the foreword in the Player's Handbook when suddenly she was addressed by a girl sitting across from her. Somehow in all of Melody's nervousness she hadn't noticed she had wings! Melody perked up as she gazed at them in wonder for a moment. Returning her gaze to the girls, to Lara's face, she returned her smile. "My name is Mel..o....dy," she spoke softer each syllable as Lara began reading one of the handbooks. She blinked for a moment in confusion, but Lara realized what she'd done a few moments later.

As she apologized Melody went to introduced herself again, only to be interrupted this time by someone walking through the doors in some sort of... suit thing. She wasn't entirely sure what that was about, but after it sat down and opened partially to reveal an exuberant woman inside she only grew more curious. Though she couldn't think of a polite enough way to ask what it was about, and opted to stay silent instead. A few moments later the DM spoke out about several things.

Introducing herself in character? Melody bit the inside of her lip while trying to think on how to do that. The girl in the suit launched into a short intro before Melody could even form full thoughts. An exiled poacher, huh? Melody could work with that for her own introduction! She went to open her mouth to speak only to have Lara ask about real personal introductions. Immediately the teacher followed with a brilliant mix of both, and seemed to name and point to the varying people gathered as he did. She was admittedly in awe that he could whip something like that up on the fly! It must be his experience at this that made it look so flawlessly easy.

Feeling that she would be insulting his talent to introduce herself in reality now, she decided to instead introduce her character. She took a deep breath and attempted to steady herself as she prepared to speak louder than Scarlet would prefer in her library. "My name is Alluma Lorellia, a druid beholden to no mere deity or 'greater being'. I hold nature as supreme above all things. As long as out adventures do not come to harm the natural world," she pointed Penelope who's character is a poacher, "my bow, spear, and magic will be at the ready." She stopped after the small spiel and glanced at the varying people at the table, trying to gauge their reactions. Especially Penelope, who she hoped understood that was in character towards her own character. Unsure of what to do further she reached out and grabbed the cookie in order to use food as a reason not to speak.

Lioness075 Gus Necessity4Fun Natealie Teh Frixz

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Aiden Eillie Fowler

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Library
People Around: Aaron Mallory, Nix, Lara Hart, Melody Vance and Penelope Urbain.
Character: Theadric Melilot (Lv.1 Bard)
Interactions: Teh Frixz , Gus and everyone else because introduction >w<

Did I do good?

After averting his gaze, afraid he had said something that would make the person beside him angry at him, Aiden had realized one of the girls had been munching on her cookie. It had been the sign he needed. Knowing there was no issue with picking it up now, the boy had slowly reached for his own 'baked d20', bringing it close to him. He inspected it for a while, glancing back at the girl from before just to discover she was done eating already. Then he focused back on the cookie and took a tiny, tentative bite:

"Ohhhhh", the teen's eyes had instantly lit up, "This tastes fantastic!!", he thought, before biting it again, this time with more excitement.

Entertained with the treat, Aiden has tuned out of the conversation, missing the whole thing about looking for a key and the gloves coming out of the nearby person's suit. Instead, he went through half of the cookie, until a sudden cackling called his attention back... That had been...too much. Moments before he had even been spoken to, the boy had turned his head over, bending slightly to the opposite direction, with a troubled expression:

"N-no sorry...", he had replied in a low voice, when asked about knowing any of the names that had been throw at him, "But I, haven't been around that much, or...socialized..."
"So, not a cosplay, gotcha."

"Uhh, smoking is bad for your health...", the teen had muttered, finally bending back to a straight position, because, that was probably something weird.

Before he had time to say anything else however, the individual-in-the-white-egg-costume-that-was-not-a-cosplay had made a neat transition to what was apparently a in-character introduction. Aiden's first reaction was panic. Had them been asked to do these and he completely missed said request? But! He didn't even know these people!!
With a sigh he tried paying the deserved attention to the introduction, and found himself deeply enjoying it. The fact that there was an egg shape standing up and posing confidently now was extremely amusing, and the performance was so energetic and fun! By the end of it, having placed the half-cookie back over the table, the boy had been laughing and applauding. And he managed to do so for a while before choking into what triggered a small coughing fit.

Using the cue of a student raising their hand to make a question, Aiden had discreetly slid and bent under the table to grab the inhaler from his bag and quickly make use of it. With the press of a button he could breathe normally again, inhaling and exhaling a couple times before putting the device back in it's place and coming back to the 'surface' as if nothing had happened. 'Crisis averted.', the boy had thought to himself.

He had came back at the middle of something apparently... The blurry teacher started making his own in-character introduction, he seemed to be very experienced with this, probably had done it several times before in his life. The teenager watched it attentively until the man started gesturing and scribbling down names...

"Wait, is this...WORD-PLAY?!", he mentally gasped as the next lines were spoken, "IT FREAKING IS!!"

Aiden watched as Aaron (apparently) did his two-way introduction. At some-point his mouth had gone agape as he found himself entranced by the presentation, in utter awe. Other names were hinted upon and gradually the paper had been filled with everyone's names, even the DM's, alongside a message that had made him laugh softly. Well, I think it was obvious who was his favorite member of the group now:

"J-just as a disclaimer, my name isn't pronounced 'aid' like the verb 'to aid'...It's pronounced 'Aiden' with an I... But I, I loved that! That was some really clever word-play. And now I know everyone's names... So, thanks...Uhhh...", he glanced over at the paper, "...Mister Mallory."

Confused as to what to do next, the boy had grabbed his cookie back up again and started munching on it. Someone else would do something and then he would know exactly what to do...that's how it worked. So, he took the final bites of his 'd20' as...Melody Vance did her in-character introduction. It wasn't as cool as the other two so far, but it hadn't been bad too. She had used some pretty complex words in there. Aiden had nodded his head while she had spoke, acknowledging Alluma's values with seriousness.
Then the girl grabbed her cookie and started eating it. As silence reigned the boy realized one thing: He was probably next. His heart started thumping faster and anxiety grew. Ohhh, would he be able to do it? M-maybe... Properly? He doubted it. He doubted it would be anything as good as the other's had been. Ohhh... What to do?

"Y-you're reciting a poem!", he tried to reassure himself, "Yes! This is your...room and you're reading Rita Dove, to yourself... No one else. There's nothing to fear, nothing... Just say...words..."
"1, 2..."

At three, the boy suddenly got up from the table, accidentally slamming his hands at it with too much strength, causing it to go 'blam!'. Great, everyone's attention was at him already, this was not going according to plan... The teen walked away from his chair and stopped a bit farther from the table.

"Remember! You're just reading to yourself!"

"I, I...", he staggered at first. Taking a deep breath and a step back. Poem reading, poem reading...

"Oh, what a wonderful assortment or individuals have gathered here today. I truly believe fate has blessed us this marvelous meeting", Aiden started bringing his right hand to his chest as if he was acting in the opening act of a play, though he was still noticeably nervous "...Now, let's not waste more of your precious time, let me tell you the tale of how I, Theadric Melilot came to stand before such an enchanting group!", at this point any trace of anxiety had gone as the boy was so deeply entranced in the task at hand that the inner romantic inside him had burst aflame full-power.

"Currently, I have but one passion, art! See, it brings out the best of people, reveals a world beyond your dream and touches hearts. But what moved this humble bard's soul at first wasn't art, It was love.", he bought his hand over his forehead in a dramatic pose before starting again, "Yes, love! She, a beautiful maiden, with firey red hair that glistened so gorgeously by the sun. My heart had been stolen in the first encounter. One day I asked her: 'Oh, divine beauty! What is that you like the most in this world?' 'Music' ", he put on a slightly higher tone to interpret the woman, " 'but turns out I'm not very good at it' 'Blasphemy! I'm sure your compositions are as wonderful as yourself' 'How would you know it, when you haven't listened to it yet?' 'Then allow me to appreciate it. Surely my opinion will remain unchanged.' "

"And with that the pair dwelt into the world of music together, like two kids with a new shiny toy, they explored numerous instruments and styles alongside each other, everything was perfect... BUT WAIT! There's a detail I have not shared with the audience yet. The maiden you see, was a human. And me, well, let's say there was an enormous size difference.", he gestured with his hand a person about half of his own height, "Thus, my love was a delusion and like most of these, reality soon came to knock on my door... She picked a young man of a similar height to hers and left me behind with nothing but the ashes of my loving heart and a lyre. I had been left with an instrument but no appreciation left for it. The fire haired lady had stolen my own creative flame and my will to live...", Aiden brought his arms to his body and closed his eyes. There was a dramatic pause as he stood in that pose for a while.

"But fear not my friends! For that flame lived on!! A few years later it blossomed into a beautiful fire flower as I decided to try pursuing music again. I don't spite the lady, it's quite the opposite really, she has shown me a new array of possibilities, opportunities to chase and for that I am extremely grateful. Someday I want my name to shine throughout the world, just as her mesmerizing locks did in the sun.", he pretended that someone had made a question, "I forgot to explain why I joined this party? Oh, it is very simple my dear: Travelling alone is a bore. I prefer to be of support and assistance to this group amidst I'm on my own personal quest, then to have no one to cheer on."

"So, at last, may my lyre bring light and hope to the dark times ahead of us, and may my voice never quiver for as long as I breathe... I shall give it my all and serve this party accordingly."

And then it was done. Aiden blinked out of the drive he had been at earlier and feebly asked everyone else:

"Uhhh, did I, did I take it too far?"

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Lara Hart	Rank: D
Power: Flight	Attire: Red T-shirt with D&D symbol on front, light brown leather jacket with wings bulging from underneath it, khaki shorts
Tagged: Natealie (Nix), Gus (Aaron), AllHailDago (Melody), Necessity4Fun (Aiden), Teh Frixz (Penelope)

Lara giggled when Mr. Mallory first began speaking. His voice sounded so funny and she loved how in character he was getting. Lara had found over the years that her British accent tended to suit her elf, so she never really bothered to practice a particular voice for her. She once tried to master the American accent so she wouldn't stand out so much, but hated how she sounded. Now she loves her accent even more than ever did before. She even enjoys the fact that it makes her stand out, when she wanted to hide in the crowd after she first arrived at the facility.

Ferdinand's name made Lara feel like she was traveling back in time. She could already envision the local church, the tavern further in town, even a town market sprouting up. Before the visual could continue, it rippled at the mention of Ferdinand's familiar...particularly its name. 'Yertle'? Covering her mouth, Lara struggled to maintain her composure as a fit of giggles overwhelmed her.

Lara still wasn't overly keen with Devvit. All of her ideals went completely against Luness', not to mention Lara's. While Luness would want to kneel down and befriend every critter in sight, Devvit would be eyeing them for their pelt! Gross! And so very wrong.

Shaking her head, Lara then returned to reality and realized Mr. Mallory's introduction wasn't over yet. Her eyes slowly widened as she saw what he was up to with his introduction and introductions for everyone else in real life. She grinned in delight at his split plan, carefully noting each person's name and then giggling at the DM's arrow. Duly noted.

Unable to help herself, Lara giggled yet again when Mr. Mallory partially introduced her. Immediately covering her mouth, but unable to hid her blushing face, Lara busied herself with unnecessarily organizing her die by color. Listening to the rest of Mr. Mallory's introduction quietly, Lara smiled at him when he was done. He really outdid himself there and Lara quickly began to feel like she was out of place. This was her first time joining a new D&D game in...years. Back in Britain, she'd had the same group for a few years before she'd had to move to America. It'd been really challenging to find a new group when so many normal people didn't want a super joining their group. It wasn't like her power was all that dangerous anyways, but it was disheartening in the long run.

Just as Lara was mentally preparing herself to introduce Luness, Aiden stepped in to correct his name pronunciation. Letting out a faint sigh, Lara sat back in her seat and begrudgingly let Aiden go before her. She even took up something of a pouting position, with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes on her neatly organized die. Then surprisingly, Melody jumped in before Aiden could get to his character introduction.

While Melody's introduction was simpler and to the point, Lara smiled warmly at her. Alluma and Luness surely would get along just fine! Unless anyone's character decided it was super weird for a frost elf to be friendly with everyone. Oh well. She'd been surprised when her old group had not reacted at all to her being a frost elf. She wondered if it'd be any different this time around.

At this point, Lara was the last one to finally introduce herself. Dang. Politely, she took a deep breath before listening to Aiden's introduction. His was most certainly the most elaborate and seemingly well-planned of the bunch. Lara definitely had not planned ahead with a proper character introduction, so she was just going to have to wing it.

Grinning at Aiden's character's name, Theadric, Lara inwardly mused, 'He's theatric and dramatic all right.' His character definitely sounded like he'd be tons of fun in a tavern scene or maybe even in a rest scene. The mention of red hair instantly made Lara think of her own hair before her mind shifted to Ms. Calloway's hair, which was way more vibrant than her own. It was a good thing the librarian wasn't here. She'd have been real upset by their loud voices, that was for sure.

Lara's character was much less of a romantic in the sense of looking for relationships or having experienced any romantic ones, but Luness absolutely adored animals of every size and type. In a sense, Luness could be an animal romantic, but that just sounded really weird and Lara decided to not add that to her introduction. She wanted to start off on a good foot, not creep out everyone. Plus, despite not really knowing her too well yet, Lara felt like Melody could be a great friend.

Just as Aiden blinked, so too did Lara, as she realized he was finally done. Not that his introduction was bad at all, it just had taken longer than Lara had expected. When he asked if he'd gone too far, Lara shrugged and replied, "Well, it was longer than the rest, but you introduced your character really well!"

Lara now realized it was her turn and inhaled deeply before drumming her fingers on the table to get everyone's attention.
"I've not traveled very far and have seen very little beyond the walls of my hometown, but I've had a yearning for adventure since I was a child. I, Luness LaFrae, have left my home to see the world beyond."
Lara put out one of her palms, slowly moving it across and in front of herself, trying to convey the big world she was now seeing.

"I'm a druid much like the other, as I care deeply for nature and its animals. I cannot stand for attacks upon nature and its occupants, thus I will defend it whenever I see fit. Though, I'm not much of a combatant, preferring to stand back and support the team. My keenness for working alongside animals often keeps me distracted and I can miss interactions by interacting with animals instead. I grew up among fellow moon elves and they taught me to care for the wildlife and nature surrounding us. Take only what you need and give back whatever you can."

Grinning now, Lara added, "I'm also prone to trying new foods and drinks of any new lands I visit. I love to visit the marketplaces and, of course, the local taverns."

Uncertain of what else to share, Lara clasped her hands on the table, eagerly looking at everyone for their reactions. She had a feeling that Aiden had overshadowed her with his amazing introduction.

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Anneliese Van Can Natealie Necessity4Fun Gus Teh Frixz Lioness075 AllHailDago "- I am just saying, that is not how I was raised. I mean, there is nothing wrong with people doing those sort of things, but I am just more reserved, you know. How was I supposed to get what she was saying? I mean, HE is the one that went there. I was only reacting like any normal lady would, right?"

"Oh absolutely. If it had been me, I might have considered setting him on fire. The old fashioned way."

"That's the thing. I was doing good at not doing that and then BAM. I had not even realized that the tub was overheating or I would have jumped out. Well... maybe not. I mean I was naked. Exposed. Shame on the pair of them for cornering me like that. That is how I see it. I like that Luther pushes my boundaries but sometimes, I feel like she likes picking on my ignorance of the world. I mean, I can't help that I hid away for so long. With my powers, the world is a very dangerous place."

"Mmhmm, absolutely." Anneliese leaned forward and draped her arms over the receptionist desk, in the same position as Page. "It just pisses me off that even some fellow supers can't seem to respect that some people aren't like them..."

"Right. I mean and him. What an arrogant jerk. I mean, really. You should have seen him. He had three of the sluttiest looking girls there working on him." Page rolled her eyes at just the thought of it. Anneliese shook her head, teeth clenched.

"I can imagine, I can imagine right now... ugh. I just wa-" her eyes caught the clock. "Oh shit." Page shifted her weight off the counter to look over at the clock herself, then gave a startled gasp.

"Oh, Page, I am... I'm sorry, I gotta run. We should talk again!"

"Yeah, sure. I've got your number. I'll text you. We'll do lunch!" Page gave a wave as Anneliese rushed off.

She spun in motion to shout "Sounds good!" and continued down the empty hall of the facility, character sheet flapping wildly in hand. She took a second outside the door to the library, catching her breath, then twisted the handle and pulled herself halfway in. "Hello everyone! Hope I'm not too late to join..." she examined the players around the table, particularly Aiden, and realized they had been speaking in character. She felt a little flutter of nervousness, but suppressed it and smiled conspiratorially as she walked over to the table.

Pulling up a chair, she nodded at Penny and again said "Hello!", cleared her throat, and leapt into character as if it were a cold lake. "I'm... Neega." She said in a growly brogue. "Neega Burning-Lashes. Fer me mixed blood, I were left in the wilderness as a babe, t' be raised by a pack o' wolves." she turned her head aside. "They're all dead now... But I amn't." Her in-character scowl evaporated and she eyed her companions sheepishly for signs of approval.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory
​

"Anneliese! You made i- ahem... I mean to say: Milady Burning Lashes! You are a most welcome addition to our adventuring party! Zounds, I am glad to have so many around me so experienced in the ways of the wilderness. Mayhap you will find this fusty old man who has seldom set foot outside a library a hindrance; if so, I pray your patience. I greatly hope to prove my worth to you, before the end."

Aaron added the words Anneliese Van Can, Neega Burning Lashes, Barbarian? to his paper, with an arrow pointing to the sole remaining seat, and sat back, grinning like a bandit.

 

[Natealie]

Nix was a bit of a critic when it came to certain things. They had experienced a lot of stories in all sorts of ways. Whether through a campaign, a video game, or even a show Nix had done a great job in collecting stories over their lifetime. So it was only natural that they would develop a sense of what was better or worse in any given story. Nix could identify the faults in them, and also their strengths.

And yet, Nix's new group had already blown them away.

"Wow, we haven't even started yet and Theadric and FizGig already have Inspiration." Nix smiled, letting the two know just how impressed they were. "All of your characters seem interesting though, and I'm really looking forward to this." They told the group, standing up and giving the newcomer her cookie and dice bag. Nix then sat back down behind their screen and took a deep breath.

"Well then, are there any last minute questions before we begin?" Asked the dungeon master.

Gus B Bag o Fruit Lioness075 Necessity4Fun AllHailDago Teh Frixz

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Aiden Eillie Fowler

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Library
People Around: Aaron Mallory, Nix, Lara Hart, Melody Vance, Penelope Urbain and Anneliese Van Can
Character: Theadric Melilot (Lv.1 Bard)
Interactions: Lioness075 , AllHailDago and Natealie

This way I avoid interrupting the game once it does start...

Right after his question, Aiden had made his way straight back to the seat. Sitting down silently, all confidence he had displayed during the Theadric's introduction had long gone. The boy glanced at his spot in the table, secretly wishing there was another cookie there, just so that he could eat it to cover his shyness. Everyone was being friendly as usual, but all he could feel was this cloud of anxious tension looming over him again...

"Well, it was longer than the rest, but you introduced your character really well!"​

One of the girls...Lara Hart, according to the paper over the table, had replied. Taken out of the anxiety daze, Aiden raised his head and looked at her in surprise, before he averted his gaze. The compliment by the end had completely fallen on deaf ears:

"Oh, uhhh, sorry about that. I just...p-pictured that I was reading a book in my mind and then it just... kinda, kept going...Like an actual book...", the boy let out a low and awkwardly laugh, "S-sorry, I'll...make it shorter next time."

He had looked back at her by the last sentence and then the teen realized something. WOA, Lara had wings! That was stupendous! ...How had he even missed that? How is that even remotely possible?? Bewildered, Aiden kept watching at the girl for a while, he was too shy to say anything, so he just stood there, in silence.

"It's rude to stare!", a thought reminded himself, instantly making him gaze the other way hoping that she hadn't realized what he had been doing.

It didn't last long however, because soon Lara drummed at the table to let them know she was about to start her character's introduction. Still slightly flustered, Aiden looked back at her and paid as much attention as he could muster. He really liked Luness! During the 'performance' he had gone 'Ohhh' in awe, specially at the Druid's values, which he agreed to, wholeheartedly. The disposition to try new foods and such was rather amusing as well, Luness came across to him as someone with an adventurous spirit. They had quite the assortment for this campaign! Nice!!

"I can see you two really enjoying each other!", the boy exclaimed with excitement, pointing at both Lara and Melody, before he realized that what had been said could have potentially sounded very wrong, "...'s company. Enjoying each other's company! As teammates. I swear that's what I was going for...", he corrected awkwardly, once more falling completely silent.

Then one more person decided to join them. Aiden widened his eyes in surprise at the other adult. Surprisingly, he knew who that person was, he didn't know if the opposite was true however. Someone from staff had handed him a card about a week ago. He was supposed to call, or e-mail or even show up at Ms. Van Can's office anytime... All of that was simply terrifying.
So, when she showed up, the boy's first thought was that this was a 'Mountain going to Mohamed' situation. He had not gathered the courage to go and see her, so maybe she had come see him herself. However, when the woman started greeting them and hoping she wasn't late, he realized that actually, she had come to take part in D&D! The teenager watched as the Guidance Counselor introduced her character and then as Mister Mallory (or should he say FizGig?) welcomed her. If the party seemed interesting before, now it had just gotten better!

Distracted completely by these events, the boy had barely listened to Nix talking, only realizing it was indeed happening when he heard his character's name... Wait. WHAT?! Inspiration, really? Him?!

"I..."

"don't deserve it. I wasn't anything that great! I'm not special at all! Fuck, I wasted a lot of everyone's time, actually... I'm sure other people deserve this more than me... Like, Lara or Penelope for example!! Why me? It makes no sense!", his mind started shouting at him, before the voice of reason intervened, "But, it's a game mechanic and I shouldn't argue back with the DM of all people... Uhhh..."

"...T-thank you...", Aiden feebly accepted the compliment, though in the inside he felt extremely guilty in doing so. It didn't feel like it was fair to the other players who had done just as good, or even better than him!

At this point he went silent again. He glanced at the DM when they spoke once more. He didn't have any questions. His gaze fell back to the table... And then he recalled something. Taking his notebook out of his lap, finally, after he had kept it there out of habit, the boy reached for his messenger bag and put the notebook inside. He did ponder for a while if that was the right thing to do, but ended up deciding that drawing during the game would be weird. Instead, he reached into an inner pocket and pulled his inhaler out.
Putting the bag back on the floor, Aiden placed the light yellow device over the table. He mentally hoped no one would ask about it right away, as he stood quietly waiting for further instructions.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Lara Hart	Rank: D
Power: Flight	Attire: Red T-shirt with D&D symbol on front, light brown leather jacket with wings bulging from underneath it, khaki shorts
Tagged: Natealie (Nix), Gus (Aaron), AllHailDago (Melody), Necessity4Fun (Aiden), Teh Frixz (Penelope), B Bag o Fruit (Anneliese)

Lara was pleasantly surprised when someone joined them, though a wee bit late. Still, the more the merrier for Lara and she was bemused to hear the classic tale of being raised by wolves. Neega was surely going to be one of the tougher of the bunch, but that would serve them well in combat situations. Luness was never designed for fighting others and so she was quite squishy when it came to fights.

It seemed Mr. Mallory was quite a fan of Anneliese given that he completely broke character for a split second. Lara couldn't help but giggle at that, as he corrected himself and then made another one of his fancy signs.

Following up on what FizGig had said, Lara added in a soft voice for Luness, "Yes, not all of us are as...experienced in combat as some others may be. I hope those of you are willing to help defend those of us less combat-oriented, given the chance."

Then Nix spoke up and Lara quickly grew quiet, listening intently to what the DM had to say. She grinned when she heard who already had gained inspiration and nodded her approval, even if it wasn't needed.

When Aiden responded to her compliment, Lara tilted her head to the side, as she didn't understand why he seemed a bit upset by what she'd said. Had she said something wrong? She tried to think over her phrasing, but just couldn't understand why it'd be upsetting. Technically, a long introduction was a good thing, so that was a compliment, too!

As her mind had wandered, Lara had absentmindedly began scratching at one of her wings. When she blinked and returned to the present, Lara saw that Aiden was staring at her, though he quickly averted his gaze. Blinking again, Lara's face flushed slightly, as she didn't understand why he'd been staring at her. Then he suddenly exclaimed that she and Melody might end up really enjoying each other, which made Lara blush even more at the subtle inclination there. Alas, Aiden took a second or two more before he corrected himself. At this point, Lara had her eyes glued to her dice collection and was resisting all urges to envelope herself in her wings so as to hide her flushed face.

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Anneliese Van Can Gus Natealie Necessity4Fun Lioness075 AllHailDago Teh Frixz Neega listened to Fizgig's long-threaded weave of propriety and deference with a frown that slowly gained such intensity that it compacted into a mass of eyebrow between her nose and forehead. "Rrrrr... aye." She then nodded decisively, which gave Anneliese a crick in her neck.

While she worked that out she smiled at Aaron, in an adjoined delight at sitting down with children and playing make-believe. Looking around the room, she noticed an imperceptible tension between Lara and Penelope, which she wasn't sure was confined to in-character, or even assuming it was, whether it would remain so.

Further inspection revealed to her that Aiden was terrified. It was so potent a social anxiety, she was starting to feel it herself. Unfortunately, as appropriate as it may have been at certain other games after hours, she was without a comfortable power-dampening agent, and she was going to have to deal with Aiden's emanations. Preferably at the source.

She reached over, very slowly and noticeably, and gave the table next to his hand a few consolatory pats while giving him a look with her understanding eyes.