PL IC Thread IX++ //Oddsbodikins & Atomic Kittens//

[Rygondria]

Reginald looked at her and said," Insidious i am not crazy it was like he was a ghost or somthing i am bloody terrified". He then heard a voice in his head say," Crowley you have killed royal game you will be hung". Reginald then just tried to hide his fear because he was trying to keep his tough Safari hunter exterior up.

Insidious was good with people and she was even better with faces as she frequently used them in her art so she could tell Reginald was genuinely terrified. She however didnt care and decided to leave him to his craziness. "I think I left him room on fire would you excuse me for a while?" she said as she wandered off "If you need anything just ask the Carn."

Reginald nodded as she walked off. He just sat there for a while thinking to himself," Why am i seeing things when i have never experienced this before. Oh god was it the stag i killed i must of angered something". He heard in his head a voice that sounded different more elderly than the gruff one he heard earlier. The voice said to him," I am Merlin Court wizard of Arthur Pendragon and i believe you have made a huge mistake". Reginald talked back in a whisper," What are you talking about you are just a figment of my imagination so i am going to ignore you". The voice responded back," I am trying to be patient with you let me explain. That white stag you killed in the forest you where not supposed to it was protected but you slain it". Reginald before he could let the voice finish said," Poppycock! You are not real so get out of my head you avaricious skeleton". The voice then said to reginald in a angry tone," You fool do you realize who you just insulted now i will teach you some manners"! Reginald suddenly lost control of his body as he saw he was heading towards a window he shouted these words before the strange force made him jump," Bloody hell help me he has taken control of my bloody body"! As he landed on the grass he felt a bone shatter in his leg reginald screamed in pain but he was still alive. He said, "why did you do that"? The voice responded," That is for tongue now listien to my counsel and i will help you break the curse". Reginald said" go away i will figure this out myself". The voice responded," Fine if you need me you now what to do". Reginald broken leg and all then started to limp towards the buildings clinic saying to himself," The legends of Arthur where a myth..Right"?

[The Carlisle]

Kale's eyes brightened up. "A heated floor?!" she said excitedly, "AWESOME!" She disliked cold feet. Yes, she does walk around barefoot all the time, but she could not stand it while at home. A weird quirk, but she was a girl of many weird quirks. She got up, paid her part of the bill, and looked to Toscha. "So, let's go!" she said excitedly.

Let's do the time warp again!!!~

Kale and Toscha, leftovers in hand, arrived in front of Toscha's apartment. Kale smiled excitedly at Toscha. "I'm really interested in this heated floor of yours," she said.

[Monfrox]

"Nope! Auntie took care of it like she does everything! Right Auntie?" Sinyaya glanced around Giovenith to Varona, who only looked. "Auntie is big and strong and not afraid of some dumb spider! Besides, Auntie made me stay in the room until it was over." Sinyaya said to Giov, still smiling bright as the sunshine that would come in the next day.

Brit waved to Willow, offering a muffled farewell through her mouthful of food, to which she promptly chugged some lemonade to wash it down and gave Willow a proper "See ya!" in her loud tone.

[Giovenith]

"Well that's good!" Giovenith grinned at the girl, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small, toy, rubber spider. "This one's name is Jack! He's a nice spider, and wants to know if you want to be friends?"

The toy was considerably less scary than the actual beast they'd just defeated, and looked quite jolly bouncing up and down on his elastic string.

[Monfrox]

"Ooooo...." Sinyaya marveled at the toy spider. She never really had toys to speak of in her younger years, and really only had Splinter to play with. She touched the spider that bounced around and giggled. "I wanna be friends!" She said happily.

[Giovenith]

OOC: For NA, good-bye and good luck.

The mind of a sociopath was an odd thing. From what all the spooky stories of cannibals and killers suggest, you'd think the inner workings would be some screeching juggernaut of tangled, red hot wires. The truth was, the mind was complicated in it's simplicity. For an outsider, it would seem cold, but for the insider, it was only logical. What did it feel like to have weak empathy? You could still think, you could still feel, but you were forced to make your decisions based mostly on your own wants, needs, and sense of logic, with very little "instinct" on how to function. Life was like a schedule. A schedule you grew to hate. Who could blame them for getting bored so easily, and needing to rile up the world around them?

A Roman prince was just one of the few who had no choice but to think like this. Tick tock, tick tock, here went the schedule. Day in. Day out. However, Octavian was luckier than most. He was prince of the only truly civilized culture, after all, he could do whatever he pleased rather than being locked into the dull limbo of whatever life gave him. He was free to make his own choices, bend his world to however he pleased; that was why he decided then it was time to go. Bielefeld had offered him plenty of intrigue at first, but like all else, it had steadily grown stale. Time to move on.

When Octavian said jump, you jumped, no exceptions. Everything that was his was coming with; his furniture, his clothes, Jacob, Albert, as well as his research and scientists. Once they were all through jumping, it would be as if they were never there. Fiercely impatient to get going, he disallowed any "tender moments" from the underlings that would waste his time. Those who were dumb enough to protest were swiftly put into place with usual efficiency. Despite this, Octavian did consider taking a moment to at least shake hands with Drova, whose time he had appreciated consuming... but when weighed with own impatience, the prince waved it off, deciding it was not important or worth it.

Civilization was calling. They'd consorted with beast and barbarian long enough. Quod absit.

--

There's no place like home.

That was true, whether you were a suffragist-aimed Kansas prairie girl, or a battle-worn Norseman. Like Dorothy Gale, Sigtrygg Karlsson Snjalli had made many a true, fast friend, allies he would always carry in his warrior's heart, but none could replace wife and brethren. That was a too far and sweet thing to ever truly let go of. Seeking a moment to spend alone, the Viking had taken up shade in the nearby wood, watching shadow migrate along the ground as the sun's chariot raced above.

"Good evening, prince-out-of-country," he heard a voice in his own tongue say to his left.

Sigtrygg was rarely taken by surprise, but the lean, flame-haired young man beside him had somehow managed it. Instinctively he reached for a weapon, but was halted by his visitor.

"No need for axes or sword, prince-out-of-country," Loki reassured in Norse, shifting his crouch upon the log next him Sig, giving the Viking the infamous smile of the Tricksters that their kind were so only capable of. "It is only me."

"Only you?" Sig grumbled, keeping his hand near the weapon. His wariness of the Norse Trickster had not waned in the slightest, especially after the incident in the grocery store. "What have you come for?" To mess with him more, perhaps?

"Are you always so critical of messages from your gods?" the red-haired god teased, picking up a twig in his hands and turning it around. "You should smile more. How about a joke?"

"I want no joke from you," Sigtrygg said, keeping his eyes on his visitor. "You bring tricks, and tainted merriment."

"Sig, do you know what a Trickster is?" How informal, using his newly attained nickname. "A Trickster is a figure that likes to mix things up, and bring about change, whether that be for better or for worse. You've changed quite a bit already, and now it's time to change again. Blood brother sends his regards."

Blood-brother, of course, meant All-Father, One-Eye, Odin. This is what ever slightly lightened Sigtrygg's tensity, drawing him into the words. The All-Father had sent the Trickster here? It was hardly unheard of, Odin was known for sometimes throwing his young blood brother at things that needed to be taken care of, and letting flame-hair do the rest. It was a balance and odd partnership beyond anyone else's understanding.

"For what?" the Norse prince ventured, uncertainly.

Without asking or warning, Loki casually threw his arm around the Viking's shoulders and stretched out the other arm in front of him in mock-dramatic gesture. "So I've told countless others before, including your pesky runaway Pearleleidottir friend, a good traveler always finds their way back home."

And so Karlsson did receive an unexpected lesson and gift from the most fickle of his gods: From one Traveler to another, it was time to go home.

And so they did.

--

Unlike the others under the guardianship of Aksarben, Namal wasn't anywhere near as chained up to the beck and call of Octavian's bitter, mini-tyrannical chains. The young, cat-earned prince didn't scare Khydir so much as the others, but even so, he was living in Bielefeld under the country's good graces. He'd tried to argue about the inconvenience of packing up so quickly without warning, but ultimately was helpless to put a dent in the stubborn Aksarben prince's plans.

But hey, it'd been a fun ride. He'd learned quite a few new things! Better to have a short ride than no ride at all. Namal had a whole future looking forward to his arrival, filled with new perspectives, new history, and new lives. Once he got over his miffed predicament, he found could hardly wait to get started.

--

Earlier today-

Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty. What do all these things come together to make?
Magic! Friendship is magic! Magic is within all, so long as all these elements of friendship were. May Harmony bless all little ponies, far and wide, young and old!
Llafnwod gnillihc ro aipotu yragus rof ,tsecreif eht eralg taht sgnileef eht era lla uoy rof.

It hadn't taken long for a clever pony like Sterling to find encyclopedias galore on this strange new place called Earth. It was lucky for him that humans seemed to be just as good at keeping records as them! Even if they could be pretty violent sometimes. My, look at all these wars! Too much war for his taste. Good thing all the humans around here seemed to be nice! He'd hate to see a war break out-

"Right here in Bielefeld?" a feminine voice said beside him.

"AH!!" Sterling Venture was a jittery enough unicorn as it was, especially for when a young pink mare with flowing purple and white hair had appeared in your room out of nowhere, without warning. He held his fez in place as he swung his head left to right, wondering where she could have come from. There were no openings anywhere! "Wh-Wh-Who are you?! How did you get in here?! You're a pony! I mean, a pony like me. I mean, not an Earth pony. NO! You are an Earth pony, actually, no horns or wings, but what are you doing-"

"Right here in Bielefeld?" the mare repeated in her demure voice, tilting her head sideways with a long, toothy grin. Unlike him, her own headwear (a green and yellow propellor beanie) stayed perfectly in place without her having to lift a hoof. "Don't worry about that! I heard you've been scared around here, but it's okay now! There's been a change in plans." The mare licked her lips and blew a raspberry, before grinning again.

Sterling had since frozen in place, caught between running out the room in fear, and staying behind to commune with the only other pony besides Willow he'd had contact with for almost a year. "P-Plans? What plans? Do you know why we're here? But that's impossible, you seem like a normal pony. How did you get on Earth? Unless you're not from Equestria. But that'd be silly! What do you know? What's your name? How-"

"My name is Screwball!" the pink pony giggled, interrupting the purple unicorn. "And like I said, don't worry! I got here because Dizzy-friend helped me! He helps me with a lot of stuff, like your Tia and Woona and Candy. Oh, and Twily now too, I guess!"

"Dizzy-friend?" Sterling blinked. "What do you mean by-"

"Hush now, you talk too much!" Screwball scolded, holding a hoof to the other pony's mouth. "Dizzy-friend said you did. Time for you to go home! No time to say good-bye to the painter, but don't worry, you'll see one another again someday. But he's still part of the plan, so he's staying. Say bye bye in spirit!"

Home? He was going home? Sterling, for a split-second, was ecstatic. But then he heard the rest of what she said.

"Huh? But what about-" he started, with panic.

Too late. In a flash, bye bye. In spirit.

Now-

Knock, knock!

"Sterling?"

Willow knocked on door 6C, having finally managed to wash all the spider gunk off of himself. As he'd been walking home, it had gnawed on him that he hadn't spoken to his friend in sometime. The artist hadn't been too worried, Sterling was a scholar after all, it was normal for him to get wrapped up in his usual pursuit of knowledge. Willow himself often did the same thing when working on his art. However, they had both mutually agreed long ago that friends don't let friends starve to death for their passions, and decided to check up on the unicorn, perhaps inform him of the hot mac n cheese waiting in the kitchen. Oh, and warn him about the spider corpse, of course.

No answer. Maybe he was just caught up in a text?

"Sterling!" Willow knocked again, this time a little louder. "You alright in there? Hey, come on, let's take a little break for a while, huh? ... There's macoroni and cheese downstairs!" He said the last bit with an upbeat tone and smile, sure that this would draw his buddy out, since Sterling loved good food. But one second past, then two, then five, and Willow's smile slowly dropped, bending into a worried frown. "... Sterling?"

Had something happened? It was too early for the librarian to turn in for the night, given how long he could read into the night. It wasn't like Sterling to ignore knocking either, especially not from his friends. Willow grew very concerned very fast, wondering if perhaps something bad had happened, like a botched spell or a slip on a bookshelf ladder. That happened sometimes.

"Sterling, are you alright?" Willow asked louder with a hint of panic, and jiggled the doorknob, expecting it to be locked. "Are you-"

The door flew open, slowly squeaking backward into the darkness of a cleared room. No books. No furniture. No light. No Sterling Venture. The only thing was the a mechanical swirling sound, as a glimmer of silver rolled out from the darkness, hitting Willow's hooves and swiveling flat onto the ground. It was the astrolabe. On it, a little yellow sticky note:
"Sorry. You'll understand someday."

Coldness. Dark, heavy, silent. What was it about such chills that froze time, and yet, somehow managed to melt it at once? Willow didn't know the answer. That's why he didn't know how long he'd been standing there, staring down at the brightly colored note in front of him. It felt like forever, yet nothing at once. What was time, again? What was matter? These were the questioned he asked, the world felt like it disintegrated around him, draining down as grey as an empty apartment. There was no time, no matter, no walls or floor. There was no world he knew. How could he know much of anything, when there was nopony left to confirm it all? He was an Equestrian, but the only one, so was there such thing as an Equestrian? This place was called Earth, right? He wasn't from here, right? Who knew. He felt like he should. But how could he.

What was that sound?

Oh. It was the call of nopony, no ponies anywhere. What an unexpected cry. It was rather mournful, the snapping realization of loneliness.

Crack, crack, sorry Brit, he lied. Guess he wasn't that strong, after all.

Willow woke up to himself humming merrily as he painted on a canvas, unaware of when how'd he gotten here. He was locked in his own body, a strange, calm, distracted thing that dilly-dallied outside despite the cold of fading day, and started painting. Just painting. Then painted some more. He found several wet canvases rudely thrown aside to his left, indicating the pony had been at the activity for some time. How long had they been at it? Did he care? Willow found himself approving of the pony's methods, and slowly crept back into his own limbs to continue the activity, once again becoming one with the Mad Artist. It was so natural. This is what he did long ago, anyway. When the world turns sour, paint yourself a new one. And then another. And another. And another. The more worlds you made, the harder it'd be for the old one to find you. If you dared stop, the real world, with it's grief, it's monsters, it's insanity, would catch you up with it's claws and take a bite. Just keep going, just keep going, chase that ever-running end, chomp chomp, how do you do? Darkness has tongues too! Where was the piano? L'art pour l'art, don't make me laugh!

He happily sang "The Rainbow Connection" as he worked, laughing in-between verses.

[Giovenith]

"Ooooo...." Sinyaya marveled at the toy spider. She never really had toys to speak of in her younger years, and really only had Splinter to play with. She touched the spider that bounced around and giggled. "I wanna be friends!" She said happily.

Giovenith giggled, "He wants to be friends with you too!" She bounced the spider up and down on it's web, then gently placed him in Sinyaya's tiny hands. "He can live with you, if you want." Here, she became stern, and wagged a finger at the child. "But only if you promise to take very, very, very good care of him."

[Cerillium]

The former Nazi loomed in the shadow cast by the giraffe statue. All the world passed around him, and the lights and sounds of the city should have stirred his soul to song, but his mind dwelt on only one thing.

Leaves skittered across pavement. A couple strolled through the park, their chocolate Labrador barking at moonbeams and imagined threats. Clouds rose the winds and the shadows dappled the earth below. And still Klaus remained. The night drew on, the air turned chill, the cars thinned out until only patrolmen roamed the streets like vigilant wolves. Klaus closed his eyes and waited in the silence, never breathing but always listening, ears straining to hear-

"...a good traveler always finds their way back home."

And then his countryman departed this time and this place, and left behind an empty void that no one could replace.

Farewell, Sigtrygg. Wir werden dich vermissen. Danke, Loki. He removed his officer's cap and brushed imaginary lint from the crest before setting it back in place. "Eh, jeg vil savne deg. Ja. You be good to them. Be strong for them. Love them. Now you know how precious they truly are to your heart."

He set off across the park (which was already primed for Oktoberfest) and continued on, hands in pockets and with upturned collar to block out the chill, until he reached the small dockside workshop containing Sig's wooden boat. He'd complete it in the man's honor and then he'd send it back in time. It was, after all, the very ship that would have belonged to Sig had fate not interfered the first time around.

[Monfrox]

Sinyaya's face turned into a determined expression as she saluted with two fingers. "Yes ma'am!" The salute was sloppy, but she was just a child. It still carried the same message. She would give the little spider her full attention whenever she could. She wondered how she could feed him and other things, but she was so thrilled to have a pet to care for.

[Rygondria]

Reginald walked into the clinic. He limped around and realized there was no medical personnel in clinic. Reginald said to himself," Some clinic this is no trained doctors just medicine and.what is this a cast". He read the cast it said," Mobility cast, this cast will let you walk normally but running is ill advised due to possible injuries that can be added to the current injuries". Reginald also took some painkillers and a address to a psychologist. As Reginald walked out of the buildings clinic he heard a voice in his head say," You better run Arthur is not so forgiving". Reginald said back," So, what can Arthur he is in the medieval era and possibly dealing with Le flay. The voice said," Well he made me send a knight to your dimension. He is tasked with killing you or dragging you back to our time for trial". Reginald hearing that grew even more terrified when he heard heave footsteps behind him. It was a knight with a emblem of a dragon on his chest plate. The knight shouted something in welsh and started heading towards Reginald sword drawn. Reginald started to limp while knocking rapidly on random doors in the building shouting," Let me in he is trying to kill me please help"!

[Giovenith]

Sinyaya's face turned into a determined expression as she saluted with two fingers. "Yes ma'am!" The salute was sloppy, but she was just a child. It still carried the same message. She would give the little spider her full attention whenever she could. She wondered how she could feed him and other things, but she was so thrilled to have a pet to care for.

"Good girl!" Giovenith returned Sinyaya's with a peace gesture, before tossing her bowl in the sink and heading. "Take good care of him! I've got to get to bed though. Good-night, sweet dreams!"

The godling made her way to her room, to find it still covered in webs. Patiently, she cut them away so she could snuggle into bed, then sent birds to do the rest as she slept, giving a passing wonder to where Willow could have been before falling into dreamland.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Crunch, crunch, crunch, and cough. Sherril wheezed for air for a moment after accidentally inhaling a stray particle of chip and promptly recovered. It seemed she was left alone in the dining room, and the noises from her apartment had stopped. Placing the bowl on the table for someone else to clean, as she was accustomed to, she picked herself up and slowly creeped her way to the apartment, slowly pushing the door open.

On the floor was Cerril, rolling around with a bloodied hand and a good bit of glass in it. On the floor, a broken lamp. In the crib, Saren, who was delightedly poking his head over the edge of his wooden fortress, waving a hoof at his aunt. "Shewwil! Papa taught me a bunch of new words while you were gone!" He declared. "Wanna hear them?" He said, his tail wagging like a dog as he prepared to unleash a torrent of curses.

"Not now, Ser... Cerril, the hell happened to you?"

"Saren started crying, and in my infinite wisdom, I forgot that, you know... I can't walk. Kind of rolled off the bed, hit my head on the dresser, knocked over a lamp, and it broke on my hand."

Sherril gave him an unamused look and clapped her hands together before kneeling down and picking up Cerril's hand, using her phone as a light to examine it better. "So according to mom getting shot in the chest twice is like a bee sting, but a lamp breaking on your hand has you swearing like a Culdranth at a party?"

"She probably exaggerated, you know her..."

"That's the sad truth." She muttered, heading to the bathroom to perform her amateur surgery. Nothing too gruesome. Within a few minutes the few glass shards in his hand were removed and it was covered in several bandaids, enough to keep it from moving for a while. "All better, right?" She said, offering a hand to help him up. He simply lifted his arm and shook his head. "I'd rather not move again... You take the bed, I'm sleeping down here..."

"Right... see you in the morning, Cer." She said, stepping over her twin to climb into his bed, covering her head with a blanket and quickly dozing off.

"Wait, Sherril. Could I get a blanket?" He asked.

No response. With a sigh he curled up into a ball and closed his eyes, eventually drifting off to sleep as well.

Saren let out a loud string of incoherent phrases, probably offensive to anyone who spoke Tinellian but would sound like infantile babbling to anyone else before he fell asleep as well.

[Cerillium]

The evening wore on and people grew tired, or horny, or thirsty, or sleepy or any of the things that people in Bielefeld were prone to do when one needs to transition forward. And so they went to bed, or went to fuck, or went for a drink and then went home to go to bed or to fuck and then sleep, or did all the things necessary for us to all move on to a brand new day.

---

The day arrived cold and crisp and clear as a proper autumn day should. It was by some clever spell woven by Mother Nature, or God wiggling his phalanges, or the GM having one beer too many, but was indeed no longer summer and winter really was right around the corner. Gretta's rabid flower garden had transitioned into a blaze of red and orange (at least the damn thing wasn't actually on fire - yet), and the trees were now heavily crowned in reds, oranges and yellows.

Bielefeld was rather German (nobody knows why, so don't ask) and Oktoberfest was something that everyone looked forward to all year 'round. The city and her citizens had worked tirelessly to prepare for the holiday (for it was a long legal holiday in this quaint nation-state!) and now everything was in place. Great wreaths made from leaves and autumn berries and reddish orange ribbons festooned lamp posts. Corn stalks tied up with brown twine kept hay bales company on the street corners. Pumpkins and apples adorned the outsides of shops or were tastefully arranged behind their glass windows. The mouth-watering scent of freshly baked good filled the air and promised the tastes of apple pies, cinnamon-raisin breads, pumpkin loaves and other seasonal delights.

The Market District park was once again set up as a Biergarten with booths and tables for beer and other not-so-healthy German foods. Ein Prosit drifted on the breeze. Pretty frau in Bavarian dirndl dresses carried frothy Glaskrug of Hacker-Pschorr to patrons at the tables, although the hour was still early in the day (Bielefeld's German population didn't care - holiday!) The song ended and a traditional German band struck up a new tune.

Klaus had been a very busy person. He was a busy-body by nature, but he'd enlisted the aid of some of his more trusted Men and been too busy for his own good. Many of the beer garten patrons realized they were up to some nonsense, but the exact nature of it wasn't apparent at first. A table was set up in one corner. Streamers and balloons hung from the poles supporting an overhead tarp. Comfortable chairs had been placed in this celebration "tent", but many of the trappings were unrecognizable unless one were familiar with Torsiedelle. These were native things, beautiful things, and cultural things that spoke of a proud land and a proud people. People paused to admire them but quickly got out of the way once the people arrived.

Oh yes, the people. These poor souls had been awoken from their beds without even so much as a "how'dyoudo" and rushed through their morning routines. "Hurry. It's a surprise. You're going to be late! Hurry". And so they were dressed, given some buttered toast, and hauled through the shadows to that very pavilion. Some had thought ahead and had gifts, while others perhaps dashed across the street to purchase something small. And then they waited.... teen club and friends alike.

---

"Torii!" Klaus' voice was an explosion in Torii's tiny bedroom. "Come! Come hurry come! It's urgent. You must go there now!" He didn't allow her any time to ask questions. She was prodded into washing and dressing, was told that her pets would be fed, but that she had to hurry. Thus it was that the young girl found herself fully clothing and through the Biergarten, turning the corner just in time to see her very own party tent and hear the teen club and others shouting "Surprise!" and "Happy birthday!"

Marcus, blushing furiously because he was the one that told Klaus, stood next to Gioventh. Rylli was also there, although Bran wasn't present. Myra smiled and gestured for Torii to join them. Yuna and Drova stood off to one side. Even Kale had managed to make it. (If there are any other teen clubbers or Torii-friends they certainly are there as well.)



Elsewhere

---

A lone figure sat on the low stone wall that separated street from beach. He wore a grey cardigan sweater and held a bag of roasted chestnuts, and his red socks matched today.

I think...I'd like to give the idea of 'us' a try, if you don't mind. She had whispered those words on this very spot nearly a year ago, and then she had slipped from the wall to kneel in the sand before him. He recalled the glow from the sand captured in her hands, and then the image of the golden glass flower that she held aloft as a token for him to take, the flower itself a representation of her. He had cupped her hands with his own and said, This is me, holding you and hoping to protect you from ever being shattered by careless wind or motion.

Hans sighed. Life was worth living when she was part of it. She was his battle maiden, his beautiful Chrys. And soon she'd wind her way down the road from the Building, and perhaps meet up with him to explore the city and bier-

"Oh damnit!" The cultist slapped his forehead as he suddenly realized he'd forgotten to tell her to meet him at the wall.



Still Elsewhere

---

We aren't privy to that far of time and place of Vaffelhelm, nor to the further dialog between the Klaus of that period and his guest, the human Mab. We are privy to the current events here in Bielefeld, and they went a bit like this:

Naomi had made her excuses. She had children to attend to and was still intimidated by a god who knew how to behave like a proper god should. This left Fritz and Mab to quiet reflections. He had briefly considered the idea of entertaining the glorious queen in bed, but sensibly realized she had better things to do than romp with a chaos god (not to mention that kinky sex was more of his sibling's gig).

And so they parted for the evening, and his last words were to reinforce that she could come and go from his house as she pleased and, were she interested, she might look into the strange Teutonic festival in the city tomorrow. He had planned to attend it at some point, perhaps towards evening.

Mab would be awoken by a cheerful servant offering a breakfast to suit her fancy.



And Still Elsewhere

---

Reginald awoke in the hall that morning. It was uncertain how he'd gotten there (he'd been put to sleep by a cultist) or where the knight went (a cultist took care of that as well), but now he was sore and stiff and propped up against Cerril and Sherril's door. He made a bit of noise upon awaking, which would alert the people inside that someone was at their door, of course.

As it so happened, Calle was passing and saw the man on the floor.




And Also Still Elsewhere

---

"OH MY SWEET GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD!" Mrs. Peabody had never prayed those words so fervently, or even uttered them in bed with so much emotion, as she was doing so now. She flailed like an overturned turtle and waved her arms to ward off the massive monster beside the strange man. Mrs. Peabody's eyesight was rather poor without her glasses, and those were unfortunately now resting somewhere under the browning hostas. "OH GOD OH RUN OH LORD RUN!"

Her words seemed to galvanize her into action. Up she went, and Ilun found his wrist caught in an incredibly tight vice. She pulled him across the yard, her house dress flapping and the curlers bouncing with each step. "Come on, man, don't stand there. That Drone is probably targeting us with laser beams and death rays!" Pushing and pushing and more pushing (despite Ilun's size) managed to get him not only up the back porch steps but into the kitchen proper.

It was then that Mrs. Peabody got a good look at the young man she had just rescued. There, under the harsh kitchen light, was Ilun in all his glory.

"God's Mercy!" she squealed and turned to run, but Darius had followed along behind them as silently as a cat stalking a mouse. Mrs. Peabody darted out the door and directly into his hull, and was thus (mercifully) now unconscious.

The Drone instructed Ilun to lay her out on her plastic-covered floral couch. She would provide information once her senses returned. They could get nothing much out of her other than ramblings about seeking the Drone shelters and for someone to call the NMJM offices. As it turned out, Mrs. Peabody had a nice little library in one of the bedrooms. Old encyclopedias offered some explanation of the land and the Earth's history.

Morning came before there was any sign of purposeful movement from the woman. By then, the sounds of Oktoberfest music were starting to rise on the breeze.



And Also Still Elsewhere

---

Bran would awake with the urge to check his mail. Brit would awake with the urge to check her mail. Thus the two collided at the mailboxes. They were nearly run over by three of Klaus' Men eager to get to the festivities.



More Elswheres

---

Matuk awoke in his apartment. Given that his handler is a regular, there isn't any reason to go through an IC explanation for how things work around here. Thus he was aware of basics and able to get on with his day. Someone had kindly slipped an Oktoberfest flyer under his door during the night.



Yeah, More Elsewheres

---

The Honey Badger had decided that night time was not a good time to investigate the fish in the middle of the smelly water. He invited the other three animals to share his den under the fake pirate ship. It was damn decent of him, considering his nature, but needs must, chaps.



And All the Places Remaining

---

Residents awoke as was customary. Those that ventured into the halls would smell the remnants of mac and cheese. Those that opened their windows would smell the sweet foods being prepared all over town. This is the GM's polite way of saying he's tired of writing so find your own fucking motivation and go participate in the festival. Hence the Luxans were lux'm, the Klingons were klinging, the Froxians were froxing, the Raptors were rapping, the cultists were culting, and way far away on Gliese a bunch of invitations were being written. Every resident would find an Oktoberfest flyer had been slipped under their doors during the night. You can all go, you can all stay away. Regardless, it's a brand new day.

Oh PL people,
Transitions take way too long.
It makes my head hurt.

[Monfrox]

Brit had no idea why she wanted to check her mail the next morning. No idea at all. It couldn't have been that she got a letter from anyone she knew, as no one from her past life knew where she was right now. It was just not possible, was it? Still, she went to check her box in the clothes she wore last night. On her way, she ran into (literally) some guy in a long trench coat. Maybe it was the zombie-like behavior that accompanied her every morning, or maybe she just didn't see him, but for whatever reason she wasn't paying attention. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn' look where I was goin'!" She said hurriedly to the man before her. Without her even going to reach for the handle, three uniformed men rushed by. Brit, having been trained for moments like this, immediately hit the wall before they ran her down. "Hey! Where's the fire!" She shouted after them.

[Cerillium]

Brit had no idea why she wanted to check her mail the next morning. No idea at all. It couldn't have been that she got a letter from anyone she knew, as no one from her past life knew where she was right now. It was just not possible, was it? Still, she went to check her box in the clothes she wore last night. On her way, she ran into (literally) some guy in a long trench coat. Maybe it was the zombie-like behavior that accompanied her every morning, or maybe she just didn't see him, but for whatever reason she wasn't paying attention. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn' look where I was goin'!" She said hurriedly to the man before her. Without her even going to reach for the handle, three uniformed men rushed by. Brit, having been trained for moments like this, immediately hit the wall before they ran her down. "Hey! Where's the fire!" She shouted after them.

"Bier!" one of the (former) Nazis shouted to the pair, "Oktoberfest, ja! You both go! Or don't go. More for us ven you don't go!"

He hurried down the street after his companions.

---

It was a new day, and Katya awoke to a clean room and the sounds of the nurse humming a soothing song. The infant was gone, tenderly handed to her new mother shortly after birth (with an opportunity for Katya to say her farewells before the babe was taken away). Now the woman was restored by Ogoti's maidservant's healing touch. Her body was renewed and no traces of pregnancy or childbirth remained. It was as if she'd never been pregnant at all.

The nurse brought a light breakfast into the room. "Rise and shine. Today's looking to be a beautiful one. I hear it's your sister's birthday. At least, that's what the rumors say. She's at the park. The biergarten. If you hurry, you'll arrive in time for cake."

[Giovenith]

"Surpriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise!" Giovenith cheered with everyone else, throwing her arms up into the air. Even when she wasn't 100% aware of what was going on, you still had to yell surprise when everyone else did, it was a law. Surely. But it didn't take long for her to piece together that they were celebrating Torii's birthday. How could she possibly not know that it was today! She could have sworn it had been another day, she'd hardly had the time to come up with a gift.

But see, this was one of those times that hammerspace pockets came in handy. Thus, in celebration of the festive Oktober atmosphere, Giovenith had managed to rip an entire, ornately-carved, oak wood Grandfather Clock, and slap a bow on it. Surey Torii would love it! It had a little bird that came out whenever the hour struck!

"Happy Birthday, Torii!" The godling clapped her hands, did a little in-place tippy-toe dance, then ran up to her friend to give her the tightest death-squeeze-hug she'd ever received. "Oooooooo, BIRTHDAYS! YES!"

--

Willow woke up on the grass outside, hair a mess, teeth sore, and hooves covered in mud (from when he'd inevitably ran out of paint in the night, and decided to use that instead). There were a metallic taste in his mouth, and he spit out a glob of spit and blood. He'd bitten his cheek at some point in his bout of madness. Staring at the green and yellow blades for a few more seconds, before slowly cracking himself back up onto his legs, taking in the mess of hideous, crazed-made paintings. There was a scent of festival food in there. It was morning. Whatever had taken hold of him last night was gone... but not it's poisons. The deep crater he'd been sunk into remained, darkening his thoughts and chest as he steadily but surely made his way through the lobby doors.

The pony just barely dodged some people making their way out with furious excitement, probably to whatever party was being held in town that he could smell. Brit and another one of the residents were there too, but for the most part, things were quiet and empty. Pretending he was invisible, Willow silently made his way to the kitchen and cleaned himself up in the sink, washing out all the mud, grass, paint, spit, and blood from his mane and coat.

He hadn't cleaned Giovenith's room. She was probably at that festival now, likely with her friends. He should go. Did he have friends? ... Not really. Not anymore, anyway. Other residents besides the godling usually only interacted with him when he initiated it, for what he assumed was good reason. Still. He had to keep going. No need to let on that Willow had literally gone crazy in the yard last night over an existential crisis, and was probably still a little crazy right now. No. Don't let that on. Keep going.

Drying his face off, Willow quietly exited the building again and went in search of the festival.

[The BranRiech]

"The one day I want to go shopping, and there's some German holiday, why the heck do they call them Firetag anyways?" Bran mumbled, checking his mail as some new girl casually walked up, almost casually bumping into the weary Conscript. Of course, Firetag wasn't some random game of Tag where being tagged lit one on fire, but it was the German word for Holiday, or Feiertag. He had learned a bit of German in school, as well as English, though he was much better versed at the latter.

None of that had anything to do with Brit though, and Bran felt it rude to fail to say anything to her.

"Oh, uh, morning? Sorry, never met before, I'm Bran Nikanor, pleasure to meet you?"

He ignored the yelling of the Cultist nearby, rolling his eyes.

--

"You're alive, I take it?" Calle hovered nearby, metal armor glistening in the morning light from a nearby window in the hallway. She had finally gotten the chance to clean her armor, and recharge. She looked much more . . . How would one put it? Vitalized? Yes, let's go with that. Her armor had been 'running on fumes' as they would say, and Calle hadn't slept since her escape, and now, to finally consider herself happy, she started wandering the halls, trying to find her two friends.

Matuk hadn't spent the night as promised, but that was alright, and after a quick look at the directory, she knew this was where Sherril lived.

Back to Reginald though, the Cyborg had been observing the man for a few minutes, trying to decipher whether he was in trouble or not, and to challenge herself, she even disabled her HUD for a little bit, just so that she wasn't cheating.

--

Sitting there, Rylli smiled at Torii as she walked right into her surprise party. It was quickly put together, and Rylli knew Bran wasn't going to be there, so she ended up making the trip up, holding Tolya dutifully in her arms, nestling him close to drown out the sounds of surprise. Her present was sitting on the table nearby, wrapped carefully, as well as a combined present from Drova and Yuna, one Yuna desperately wanted to give to her good friend.

Both twins were standing nearby, and at least one of them, the one who was actually somewhat sociable, smiled back.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Kzzt... Zzzt... Kzzzzzzt... The loud roars of Arkadat snoring were pouring out of the royal family's room that eventful morning. The loud noises of Cerril's snores combined with the obnoxious ringing and shouting from Sherril's phone, soon joined by the loud cries of the young Saren formed a horrific cacophony of noise that no normal human would want to be near (Though to an average Tinellian, they'd call it quiet).

First to awake was the fair Sherril, who aimlessly slapped her hand against the bed beside her until eventually hitting a glass screen, picking up the phone and blearily staring at it before answering. "'Lo?" She asked, an inquisitive expression on her face that soon grew to a massive, ear to ear grin as she pumped her fist into the air. "You caught him, did you? I'll let Cer know once he's up and moving." Her chipper expression soon faded to one of absolute horror in a comical manner almost immediately afterwards. "W-what do you mean she's coming? Of all times to do that ceremony she wants it here and now?!" She said, her eyes wide with fear. "C-can't you delay it, Veilet? Say Cerril's not healed yet! Say you've got some important meeting for her to go to-" Her expression soon went blank as the phone was presumably handed over, the expression on her face reflecting the cellular tongue-lashing she was receiving.

Saren was next to awake. He found his crying yesterday had attracted attention, and in such a timely manner, too! It was perfect. He had to do it again. Sherril's phone conversation was just the thing to spur him into action, a loud, incoherent yell leaving his mouth as he smashed the edge of his crib with his hooves, getting the attention of...

Cerril, who was curled up into a shivering ball on the floor. It was damned cold down there. On the bright side, he felt a lot better. He had that natural Arkadat healing to thank for it, and very slowly he picked himself up before inhaling sharply and letting out an annoyed mutter as he rubbed his knee. "Alright, not completely back yet..." He growled, hopping on one hoofed leg over to Saren's crib, leaning on it and pulling the foal out, hugging him tightly as he fell on his rear to the ground. "Morning, Saren the Angry... How's the prince doing today?"

Sherril eventually hung up the phone and looked passed it to Cerril, looking utterly ashamed. "So... bad news. Mum's coming to town."

"What."

"And she's bringing Kharkithallen with her. Oh, and your crowning ceremony. Says she wants to 'show off tinellian tradition' or something stupid like that."

"Beautiful. How long 'til she gets here?"

"Uncle wasn't specific. Could be ten minutes, could be ten days."

"Well, today's off to a brilliant start. I can kind of hop around for the moment... Got a stick I can use? And a leash for Saren?"

"Hang out in here for a bit and I'll get you those items." Sherril said, stretching her limbs out as she headed for the door, smacking someone on the back on her way out. With an odd expression she tilted her head around the door's corner, staring at the person in front of her. "... Sorry about that. Not used to apartment life." She heard another noise behind her and turned her head... Ah, it was Calle from yesterday. She lifted a hand and waved, a grin on her face. "And if it isn't Calle!"

[Torsiedelle]

The last night, Torii had gone to bed in something of a mixed mood. Between the excitement, depression, happiness, and hurt, she couldn't event remember why or when she went to bed, but she did know that she was enjoying it. That was, until she found Klaus waking her and rushing her through a morning routine with no explanation. What day was it, even? Then she remembered, today was a special day for her, apparently...

Marcus told them. Either that, or they remembered from last year. She supposed it was okay to go along with, and so she got cleaned up and dressed. The temperature was too damn cold for her to suddenly get used to. She still itched for summer, and still had nothing clean but summer clothes. She struggled to find something warm, and finally retrieved one of those uniforms she bought a year back. The skirt came down to just above her knees, and was thick enough to provide warmth. She dressed in that, some long, warm socks, and her jacket, and left with Klaus.

"Oktoberfest, right! I almost forgot it was happening, Mr. Klaus! I wanna try all the beers!", She exclaimed with wonder. "So, are we going to have a nice day here?"

She knew they were. Why else would someone she rarely saw bring her out, and a cultist at that? Approaching the tent was a wonderous moment for her. The striking white and azure striped banners, gold and red zigzags, flags, and more dazzled her. They were a familiar sight, but one she hadn't seen in a long time. She knew that this was for her. It was all too telling of her little Eastern European homeland. If only her family were there, it would have been her dreams come true...

They weren't, but the people she found before her were just as sweet. Her friends and, in a way, family, were all there for her, from her awesome girlfriends to Marcus, who she really wanted to thank right now, and her neighbors, too.

She was surprised and moved to see Rylli. The absence of Bran came as both a painful stab to the heart, and a source of anger to her, two little things that she didn't let show, and instead embraced everything good before her. She smiled, and that smile just grew wider with excitement.

Looking at Klaus, then Marcus, she hugged herself. "This is for me? All of this?", She asked. She didn't expect anything like it. She expected a quiet, happy get-together in the club room, or a nice party in the communal kitchen, but her own tent at an Oktoberfest celebration? It was very special to her. Very special indeed....

"Mmph!", Torii gasped. Gio hugged tight. Was this how Torii always hugged, herself? It was killer...but also nice.

"Wow...I...Thanks.", She whimpered. Why was she struggling to speak now? It wasn't because of her friend's death hug. No, it was something else. Every being there, and having such an amazing display, made her feel so loved and special. It was like she was trying to explain the night before, to Bran. Right then, she felt like a special somebody, and everyone cared about her. It was great.

She was trying not to start crying in front of everyone. "Oh my god. I love it! Thank you guys! I mean it!"

[Torsiedelle]

"Hmm? What? What?", reverberated throughout the room. Katya jolted into consciousness, and held an arm over her eyes to block the light. "Huh? Sister...Tora? She's eighteen. What time is it? Where's the kid?"

She stopped herself. What was she even doing? She was drained, still. She remembered most of what had happened. She didn't feel any pain, but she was tired. How much sleep did she get? She slumped back and took a long moment to think.

"I had the baby. Minerva has it. I'm okay. Tora had a birthday today. What do I do now? I've been housebound for nearly a year. I'm scared."

She took deep breaths and began to teeter back to unconscious. What would she nurse do? What would Dora do?

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Gretta leaned towards her prize garden shaking her head, as the carnivorous mutated plants shrieked. "Oh my poor darlings, the annual temperature shift has you wilting. I'll put you out of your misery soon enough." she promised as she watered them with kerosene. "Children, did you remember to seal the cryogenic vault ... with the seeds inside?" Gretta called out as she struck a match. "Yes Mum!" a trio of voices replied as she dropped the match onto the flowerbed. "Oh my Surgeon, guess what day it is?" her husband called from the front door.

"OKTOBERFEST!" Neil announced as he downed a pint from a pitcher in one claw and inhaled the energy stream of a medical device from the other. "My Killer, how opportune to have cause for celebration! Tonight, wine shall make way for the beer." Gretta replied as she took out her wine glass and filled it with beer, she considered it a toast and clinked her glass with Neil's pitcher.

*clink*

Meanwhile, Arthur woke up somewhere in an otherworldly desert, he picked himself off the ground as the sun rose over the near featureless plain. "This isn't the dimensional decompressor." He muttered. as he squinted his reptilian eyes as he looked off towards the horizon. He spotted a highway and a sign not that far off, curious, he walked toward it. "Welcome to Desert Bluffs. Population: 748. Believe in a Smiling God." Arthur read and continued walking. Curious still as to how he was not unraveling at the subatomic level, it was obvious that there was some kind of dimensional breech that landed him here.

[Monfrox]

In the back of the tent stood a rather rough-looking woman who, for once, had her hood down off and showing he slightly dirty auburn hair. She had a small gift with her in her rucksack as she stood back and watched those who were more familiar with the girl give her their "happy birthdays". She didn't know anyone else in that room besides the birthday girl, but that wouldn't let her stop her from sharing a drink with the girl.

---

"Oh Bran! I know-" She stopped like someone had just took the needle off the record that played her speech. One word echoed in her mind: Fuck. Her lapse of attention caused by her ADD was getting to her. Now, she had no idea how to continue. She looked back out to the other cultists as a sort of way to bail out, but they were long gone. Thinking on her feet, she looked back. "It's a pleasure ta meetcha too." She said finally, brushing off the whole thing. She was feeling hot under the collar as she hoped her cover still wasn't blown while also questioning why she was acting so weird over this as well.

[The BranRiech]

Unknowing to the fact that Sherril's mother was coming to town, and failing to realize that she should be feeling sorry for her because of it if any past conversations held any weight, Calle's head turned mechanically over to look at her friend from yesterday. Her face lit up with a smile. "Sherril!" She exclaimed wildly, feeling a warm feeling of happiness wash over her. Her otherwise pleasant morning was made all the better simply by this. "How are you feeling?" Her voice droned, yet still filled with emotion, however much tinged by electronic noise, as if her words were spoken through a recording device.

Also, Calle didn't really know to ask "How are you?" and instead opted to go with a more general question, feeling like an idiot in the process.

--

Studying Brit's face, Bran swore she had some sort of familiarity to her, but he brushed it off. People reminded him of others all the time. Strange accent though, he'd never heard anything like it, maybe she was from Canada? No, they sounded different. And while he knew it wasn't a simple neutral accent, it was American.

Grabbing his mail from the box, he looked out towards the city, through the door. He saw the sights of celebration, people on their way to the fair down in the Market district.

"Well hey, I'm definitely going to this, want to come along?"

[Monfrox]

Well, if there was anything in her mail box, Brit would've grabbed it. She mentally sighed in relief as Bran let what she said go and decided not to bug further. She watched as he started walking out. "Go? To Oktoberfest?" She thought about it. Wasn't it that German festival where they drank a lot? Especially alcohol? Like the kind of alcohol she wasn't allowed to drink until she was 21? She thought about it, and then realized she didn't have any money. She also was reminded of her mother and sister, who were both fans of German culture, and how they probably would've liked to go to. Hell, maybe they were taking a trip to Germany right now. Brit walked up and leaned against the doorway, worrying about so many things she'd be better off not thinking about. "Man...I dunno..." She sighed, looking out to the rest of the city with a solemn expression.

[Primordial Luxa]

"But you hate The Festival" Aegis said "Yes" Primordial responded "But this is a different festival" "Primordial you hate ALL kinds of festivals, its why we dont invite you to parties." Insidious said. "Well that's because most of them are garbage, I mean drinking and listening to music? What kind of party is that? People would be much better off studying or something" "Yes we've heard it before, and even though I dont see any mention of anything we would enjoy..." "Not even a public torture" Aegis interjected "...we might be able to spread a cloying influence or kidnap some people." Insidious said "Or we could poison the food and drink." Aegis said "A great offering to the All mother or he who is not to be named." Insidious and Primordial gave him a strange look but then nodded "That could work, Ill see what I can brew up" Primordial said