Cab: 6/7/97
As usual, our group split up in the course of working. And as usual we all end up in the Masterpiece Theatre living room. Everybody arrived before me, which is good, because when I left them to work on the stone in Master Porthos' residence they were all together.
I walk over to Eric, "It worked." and toss him the stone boon. It fell to the floor with a thud. Sigh, I guess he was working on stuff too and some of it lingered... I retrieve it just as everybody else asks what took me. I tried to answer, but I really couldn't remember much. Odd, but I have so much I need to think on and remember these days once I get a free minute I'll just add this to the list. I tried to deflect my lack and mutter something about working on something we'd need later. But they bought it, they must have been really working on something weird. Reuben asked Eric how he'd gotten here and if we all agreed that that was The Third.
"The Third? So, what happened?" since I missed all the fun. It turns out Kasee had once more been herself, had stolen The Prophecy from Master Porthos, and he'd wanted it back. Stuff about Kasee following Master Porthos trying to sneak and failing again. Porthos was poisoned and only survived by getting ALL our remaining tass burning his system clear again. Hmmmph! Reading The Prophecy on Porthos' desk and ending up singing it. And to top it off the handing off of the Staff ceremony that everyone was gathered for, only they all thought Porthos was Jeremy Fowler and supposed to get it. Get it he did, although the only other successful, and surviving, member was Eric as the room was ripped free but not anchored, and pattern spiders faded in and froze everybody but Porthos, Eric, and The Third.
"It wasn't how I remembered it. It was rather anticlimactic, really." The Narrator pipes in. I realize we're still in the costumes from hell (I really hate girdles, and these go waaaaay beyond), "Is there a changing room? And may I have some tea?" "Over there." with a vague gesture to another door. Yes! finally something goes right!
"How do you remember it?"
"I remember it... more successful."
"The staff remained a staff? Or what?"
"No matter, it obviously didn't happen. I hadn't realized you would need this intermission. It was an unusual solution."
"Yes. What happens next?"
"The fourth act, unless you have any questions?"
We all decide to ask when we have more solid questions, we're still sooo confused. "Well, the fourth waits." as The Narrator rummages through drawers and comes out with a key, looking expectantly at us. Nobody moves, so I raise a hand, and he tosses me the key. Kasee mutters something about keys, being locked in a closet because the Butler didn't trust her, fancy that, and pulls out the Pomegranate, immediately catching The Narrator's attention.
He stares at the Pomegranate. It's That Pomegranate. "It's a pomegranate. Would you like it?" Kasee offers. Oh No... The Narrator slowly reaches out, peels it, and eats it. "I'll see you when you get back" he says between morsels.
We look at the key and the doors (plural) and Renee asks "Which one?"
"All."
"Is any one better?"
"Oh, most probably."
"Any one you would suggest?"
"I think the front lines would be good, that always worked well. It was different last time, or next time."
"Do you like the pomegranate?" (Kasee, the rest of us are too afraid to ask).
"Yes, where did you get it?"
"I got it off the tree we climbed out of the garden on when we'd met the First."
The Narrator smiles and munches. Some of us being more paranoid and remembering what The Pomegranates did last time look around and then look at the Narrator through our magic. He now has an aura and a stable life pattern. Hoooboy. "I think we just made him real" I mutter to Kasee and Renee.
Eric asks "Reuben, do you feel like leaving things to fate?"
"I generally try to do so. What do you mean?"
"You are strongly linked with fate. This door feels strongly of Entropy. That door feels strongly of Forces. None of the other doors do much."
"If there were four..." quotes Reuben as the group decides on the Forces door, Entropy being destiny and death and stuff. I'm not too sure, I mean this whole thing is about everybody's destiny, but it makes sense too. The door is locked as Eric finds out, floating over to it. I hand him the key and he unlocks it as his feet hit the floor, must be a gravity thing this time. The scene is a peasant revolt or something, with cannons and guns. "Are we allowed to see before making a choice?"
"Did you get a rules set? No one will try it again."
We unlock the Entropy door. This scene is a tent with people in formal uniform speaking French, as Reuben translates, "They're discussing battle plans and flanking the Prussians." and asks to open the other doors. Walks All Paths strides over to the doors, shifts form, and walks through the Forces door. Oh well, he is a man of action.
We follow, not wanting to lose more of Walks All Paths. We are in regular clothes this time, not more costumes, on a hilltop on the edge of a battle. A city with no walls is under seige on another hill by some uniformed soldiers. We look around. There is a tent in beseiger territory on another hill with a whirling Prime vortex going in.
"So, what're they speaking?" I get curious first. Of course Kasee isn't far behind. "It could be German, or Russian, maybe Hindi. It could be Spanish. It's Spanish." At the sound of the tone the time locally is "It's 11:42:37am on August 23, 1809."