the truth is stranger [closed]

[soulshard]

Who: Ardbert & others
Where: Panorama, The Fringes
When: Throughout February
What: Fixing up the bathhouse, poking the Cube, and crossing a chocolate river

Warnings: Will update as needed.



( art credit. closed starters below! if you're interested in a thread, feel free to send a PM or grab me at demonology. )

Comments

estinien.

[soulshard]

[ Word of the bathhouse had come from Aglaea during their long drive out into the Fringes to run some tests with the Cube. While that remains a puzzle that won't easily be solved, Ardbert expects, life must still go on.

Strange as it is to acknowledge that other fluxdrifts who arrived even after him are settling down into business endeavors such as taking over management of a bathhouse, Ardbert can't say he's that surprised. It's natural for people to adapt, to carry on and find a purpose even amongst the strangest of circumstances. Whether they like the implications or not, carving out a place for themselves in this strange world is just what it means to be a person.

So when Aglaea had indicated she could offer him some joolies for help in fixing up the bathhouse, of course Ardbert had been interested. Odd jobs are his specialty, and when it had occurred to him that others might also benefit from this one, Estinien had been the first person to come to mind.

When it comes to this sort of manual labor, Aria and the rest of the Scions don't quite fit the bill.

As it turns out, his hunch had been right and Estinien was interested. So here the two of them are, with orders to move over large crates of tile to the main bath area and start laying them out in neat, even lines.

As Ardbert heaves one of the heavy crates into his arms, he asks the question that's been on his mind with a quick glance sent Estinien's way. ]

I must ask. Are you familiar with Aglaea, or were you simply in need of the joolies? Or do you really like bathhouses?

[ All seem equally possible. ]

aglaea.

[soulshard]

[ It's taken a few hours to make it out this far into the Fringes, at a spot more or less directly below the looming Cube. Ardbert's kept careful hold of the crystal ball they've once again borrowed (a bit more formally this time) from Deirdre, the fortune teller who had been tangentially involved in their rather unexpected run-in with the Midnight Skinner (or had it been preordained through divination?).

The drive had been pleasant enough, a balanced combination of comfortable silence and making conversation. It doesn't surprise Ardbert at all to find that Aglaea is a decent road trip partner.

They park near a diffusion zone that brings back some memories, though he knows it's not the same one that he recalls from a couple months back. The peaceful farmland is similar enough to the spot where he, Emet-Selch, and Elodie had stopped to bury her friend, but he doesn't find it necessary to bring that up.

What makes this particular zone feel a bit more ominous is the shadow cast over it by the presence of the Cube overhead, discoloring the otherwise pleasant landscape.

Ardbert steps out of the passenger's door, sets the crystal ball carefully down on the car's roof for a moment, and then stretches both of his arms up to crack his shoulders and back. When the ball starts rolling toward the edge of the roof, he quickly snatches it up before something catastrophic can happen. ]

Phew! All good.

[ He shoots Aglaea a sheepish smile. ]

[ofgoldenthread]

[ By some bizarre miracle, while they make their way out to the Fringes together, the ballads which grace their ears over the radio are surprisingly thematic. How "shuffle" on all power ballads imaginable resulted in a perfect line up of, well, different sounding Bon Jovi songs is really a mystery to anyone. Anyway, now that my jukebox moment is over...

Her driving in the city was slightly rougher than out in the open road, and she's grown more accustomed to driving as she's spent more time in Panorama. She knows her limits, and that's what matters! But, at least Ardbert seems to be enjoying her company better than her driving. She steps out slightly slower than he does. The threads prickle with impending doom for their object of importance, and she nearly reaches out as well as the orb rolls.

To say Aglaea gives Ardbert a "look" is overselling her underwhelming emotions, but it's certainly there. She closes her eyes and sighs. Nobody's perfect. Stepping around the car and closing the distance to her companion, head turns upward as if she could see at all with those eyes of hers. ]

Give me a moment to establish my threads before we continue. I would prefer to feel what we're looking at first.

[ She hadn't sought up in Acreage as much, not considering the possible threat of a looming cube during their collective visit. In fact, she seemed rather surprised when Ardbert mentioned it in the first place. "I suppose I did not think to check," she declared, a bit shamefully. Again, nobody's perfect. Idly she speaks as the threads dance into place: ]

It will be interesting to see if my threads can stay firm so high up. The wind is at least favorable. [ She frowns after contemplation is permitted. ] It must be very high up. My threads are struggling to reach it.

livio.

[soulshard]

[ Word of a mysterious yet lavish mansion appearing throughout the Fringes, hopping from quadrant to quadrant, has thrift shop owners in Panorama salivating. One of them who Ardbert often takes requests from asks him if he can try to track it down, convinced that there must be some wonderful luxury goods within that he could sell for some decent cash.

And, of course, Ardbert will get a decent finder's fee.

It does require a bit of driving around in mostly rainy weather, but eventually he does find the mansion a couple of hours' drive outside of the city. He parks, relieved to have found it while there's a lull in the downpour, and quickly realizes that this is not going to be quite as simple as he might have hoped.

There's a sludgy, brown river between him and the (admittedly) rather appealing-looking mansion.

Before he can think too hard on his next steps, he hears the rumble of another approaching vehicle, catching his attention as he turns back toward the road. ]

[crimebaby]

[ likewise, livio had been roped into exploring the diffusion zones by one of his regular customers. he's still paying for the motel room he and vash (and formerly wolfwood) paid, and still has a chunk of his debt left to pay off. arlecchino had mentioned diffusion zone exploration and selling as a means of obtaining money, and naturally, this mansion appearing out of the blue got people interested. livio finds himself driving his motorcycle out to the mansion, halting as he sees a familiar face ]

Ardbert!

[ hi, hello, etc ]

Are ya checkin' out this place too?