PBA 052 Val

[3/11/2015 10:49:47 PM] *** Canto added Valerian ***

[3/11/2015 10:50:18 PM] Canto: Val opens his eyes and he's in a very nice sitting room. Overstuffed chairs, sculpture and paintings linting the walls.

[3/11/2015 10:50:31 PM] Valerian: ((Does he recognize it?))

[3/11/2015 10:51:02 PM] Canto: No,not as such, but he does recognize that is a place meant to make him comfortable and at ease.

[3/11/2015 10:51:12 PM] Valerian: Valerian therefore becomes tense.

[3/11/2015 10:51:46 PM] Valerian: Valerian frowns, and looks for a person. He's a people person, after all!

[3/11/2015 10:52:13 PM] Canto: There's someone sitting across from you, holding a snifter of brandy.

[3/11/2015 10:52:56 PM] Valerian: Valerian sizes them up.

[3/11/2015 10:53:48 PM] Canto: It is a slender young man... you think it's a man, there's a bit of androgyny there. He's wearing a mask. You're not sure how he's drinking through it, but magic.

[3/11/2015 10:55:42 PM] Valerian: I'm dead. I died, I think? This isn't quite what I was expecting.

[3/11/2015 10:56:25 PM] Canto: Other person:  Oh yes, you died. But that's required. You had to die in the demirealm for us to make contact. Otherwise the curse would have pulled you back to Nation.

[3/11/2015 10:57:14 PM] Valerian: Interesting mask.

[3/11/2015 10:57:26 PM] Canto: Other person:  You too.

[3/11/2015 10:57:38 PM] Canto: He raises the snifter of brandy to you as if to toast.

[3/11/2015 10:57:57 PM] Valerian: ... this isn't a mask, it's part of who I am.

[3/11/2015 10:58:10 PM] Canto: Other person:  AS is mine.

[3/11/2015 10:58:15 PM] Valerian: Do you have a second glass, by any chance?

[3/11/2015 10:58:22 PM] Valerian: ... ah.

[3/11/2015 10:58:40 PM] Valerian: Olidammara, I presume?

[3/11/2015 10:58:54 PM] Canto: He nods his head in a little bow. "Quite so!"

[3/11/2015 10:59:02 PM] Canto: Val is now holding a snifter of brandy.

[3/11/2015 10:59:53 PM] Valerian: Thank you.

[3/11/2015 10:59:59 PM] Valerian: Valerian takes a sip.

[3/11/2015 11:00:38 PM] Valerian: I always thought I'd be too much of a goody-two-shoes for you to take much interest.

[3/11/2015 11:03:51 PM] Canto: Olid:  Oh? You're super good at deception. That tends to be my bailiwick.

[3/11/2015 11:04:09 PM] Valerian: I'm good at it. I don't do it when I can avoid it.

[3/11/2015 11:04:56 PM] Canto: Olid:  Mmm. Yes, but you can make words mean anything. It's fun to watch.

[3/11/2015 11:06:08 PM] Valerian: ... I'm not sure how I feel about that, but that's true, I suppose.

[3/11/2015 11:08:32 PM] Canto: Olid:  So, I want to help you out. We don't want Nation delivering that payload of souls. As you know, you're going to be Nation's last crew.

[3/11/2015 11:09:02 PM] Valerian: Is it because we fail or because we succeed?

[3/11/2015 11:09:29 PM] Valerian: The others don't seem to have realized we're either famous or dead in that future. I'm not even sure whether I should tell them.

[3/11/2015 11:10:10 PM] Canto: Olidammara shrugs. "I'd say we're trying to stack the deck in your favor, but it's so stacked against you at this point it's not even funny.  I don't like cheats when they're on the other side of the table, right?"

[3/11/2015 11:10:11 PM] Valerian: Valerian sips his brandy gratefully.

[3/11/2015 11:10:20 PM] Valerian: Only on our side.

[3/11/2015 11:11:35 PM] Valerian: I'm a little preoccupied with my personal issues at this point, I haven't really been devoting much thought to the larger problem at hand.

[3/11/2015 11:16:13 PM] Canto: Olid.:  Well, your personal issues are pretty much a labyrinth at this point.

[3/11/2015 11:18:45 PM] Valerian: Yes. I don't know what to do.

[3/11/2015 11:18:55 PM] Valerian: None of us does.

[3/11/2015 11:19:01 PM] Valerian: It's worse for the others.

[3/11/2015 11:19:20 PM] Valerian: I should have told them all from the beginning.

[3/11/2015 11:20:24 PM] Canto: Olid.:  Perhaps.

[3/11/2015 11:20:50 PM] Valerian: Even if she's not angry enough to chop off my head, or worse, hate us after she finds out, what's the best possible outcome?

[3/11/2015 11:21:46 PM] Valerian: She loathes Quintilian. She'd despise Day if she knew what he's done. And Holly is Holly.

[3/11/2015 11:24:49 PM] Canto: Olid.:  It depends on if she thinks you're lying to her. Or if you think you're lying to her.

[3/11/2015 11:27:24 PM] Valerian: It wasn't lying. But it wasn't the whole truth either. ... my parents talked about putting me in a hospital or having some cleric try to fix me.

[3/11/2015 11:27:37 PM] Canto: Olid:  Well, that's just silly.

[3/11/2015 11:28:22 PM] Valerian: I never told them I knew.

[3/11/2015 11:28:49 PM] Canto: Olid:  About the others, you mean?

[3/11/2015 11:29:13 PM] Valerian: That they considered doing that.

[3/11/2015 11:30:16 PM] Valerian: Killing them. It felt like they were talking about killing pieces of me. And they thought I was sick. I didn't tell anyone here because I didn't want to be thought sick.

[3/11/2015 11:30:26 PM] Valerian: That's all.

[3/11/2015 11:30:54 PM] Valerian: If I could split myself into four it would make all our lives easier. I don't suppose you came here to do that?

[3/11/2015 11:31:34 PM] Canto: Olid.:  No, I'm afraid not. I came to offer you a sliver of my own power to help get that deck evened up.

[3/11/2015 11:32:04 PM] Valerian: I don't suppose you'd be willing to do both.

[3/11/2015 11:37:40 PM] Valerian: Double or nothing? I know you're a gambler.

[3/11/2015 11:38:37 PM] Canto: Olid.:  Hah. You're pretty good. It's tempting, but then you knew that.

[3/11/2015 11:39:57 PM] Canto: Olid.:  No, I'm not the god of simplifying anything.

[3/11/2015 11:40:17 PM] Valerian: Four decievers is better than one.

[3/11/2015 11:40:24 PM] Valerian: ... well, three, and Holly.

[3/11/2015 11:41:14 PM] Canto: Olid.:  Hmm. Or I could divide you into four beings who are exactly as you are now. So that's 16 deceivers.

[3/11/2015 11:41:45 PM] Valerian: ... I'm willing to take the risk. Choose your game.

[3/11/2015 11:44:24 PM] Canto: Olid.:  What's in this for me?

[3/11/2015 11:44:57 PM] Valerian: What do you want?

[3/11/2015 11:45:14 PM] Valerian: Besides, of course, those souls not to make it to one of your enemies.

[3/11/2015 11:47:43 PM] Canto: Olid.:  Everything. Maybe I like the idea of you continuing to do this dance you're doing.

[3/11/2015 11:48:15 PM] Valerian: That would be a shame, as I'm going to be telling Wynn as soon as I can manage.

[3/11/2015 11:48:29 PM] Valerian: I can't build anything on an incomplete edifice.

[3/11/2015 11:48:58 PM] Canto: Olid.:  And you think me splitting you up would make it easier?

[3/11/2015 11:49:06 PM] Valerian: Yes.

[3/11/2015 11:51:16 PM] Canto: Olid.:  Alright. Gimme a coin.

[3/11/2015 11:51:49 PM] Valerian: Valerian grabs a copper, checks it to make sure it's got two different sides, and tosses it to Olidammara.

[3/11/2015 11:52:05 PM] Valerian: ... I like you better in person than I'd've guessed.

[3/11/2015 11:52:35 PM] Canto: He takes the coin and conjures three half walnut shells, putting them on a table.

[3/11/2015 11:53:42 PM] Valerian: That's not a gamble, that's a scam, usually.

[3/11/2015 11:54:01 PM] Valerian: But if you like, I'll try.

[3/11/2015 11:55:39 PM] Canto: Olid.:  If you pick the coin, I will give you what you want in addition to the sliver of my power I was gonna give you anyway. If you pick one of the empty ones, you just get the silver. This isn't a scam - the coin will be under one of these three shells.

[3/11/2015 11:55:47 PM] Canto: He mixes them up!

[3/11/2015 11:56:00 PM] Valerian: Valerian tries to watch.

[3/11/2015 11:56:10 PM] Canto: Make a notice check.

[3/11/2015 11:56:23 PM] Valerian: ((2. Hee.))

[3/11/2015 11:56:35 PM] Canto: Yeah, you lose track of it.

[3/11/2015 11:56:59 PM] Valerian: Valerian chooses the one on the right!

[3/11/2015 11:57:50 PM] Canto: roll a d12.

[3/11/2015 11:58:13 PM] Valerian: ((6.))

[3/11/2015 11:58:24 PM] Valerian: What kind of power are we talking about?

[3/11/2015 11:59:00 PM] Canto: He lifts the shell! he finds the coin. and just for a moment, he gets to feel what it would be like without those other three in his head.

[3/12/2015 12:00:11 AM] Valerian: Valerian says nothing, but his eyes widen.

[3/12/2015 12:00:27 AM] Valerian: ... I can't...

[3/12/2015 12:00:37 AM] Canto: Holly and Day and Quint stand around him, probably similiarly panicked?

[3/12/2015 12:00:53 AM] Canto: Olid.:  See?

[3/12/2015 12:01:15 AM] Valerian: ... bad idea. Bad idea. Yes, this was a terrible idea.

[3/12/2015 12:01:34 AM] Canto: Oli snaps his fingers, and you're back to normal.

[3/12/2015 12:01:46 AM] Valerian: ... that was...

[3/12/2015 12:01:54 AM] Valerian: Valerian shivers.

[3/12/2015 12:01:57 AM] Valerian: Instructive.

[3/12/2015 12:02:59 AM] Canto: Olid.:  I gave you what you wanted. We never said how long it would last.

[3/12/2015 12:03:46 AM] Valerian: Thank you for not making it permanent.

[3/12/2015 12:04:04 AM] Valerian: Truly.

[3/12/2015 12:04:26 AM] Canto: Olid.:  Hey, I'm rootin' for you, kid. You're my son, after all. Daughter. Whichever. Child.

[3/12/2015 12:04:46 AM] Valerian: Right. Well, you've gained a convert if nothing else.

[3/12/2015 12:04:53 AM] Valerian: What sort of power did you want to invest in me?

[3/12/2015 12:04:54 AM] Canto: Olid flips your coin back to you! It's now a double-sided coin with his mask on both sides.

[3/12/2015 12:05:19 AM] Valerian: I won't quibble with the details, I'm just curious. Nothing should have the souls that ship has collected.

[3/12/2015 12:05:27 AM] Valerian: Valerian catches it and pockets it.

[3/12/2015 12:05:29 AM] Canto: Olid.:  Pure magic. Chaos. All that good stuff. You'll figure it out.

[3/12/2015 12:05:59 AM] Valerian: Deal.

[3/12/2015 12:06:07 AM] Canto: Olid.:  So now I'll send you back. You still got one more thing to do, though.

[3/12/2015 12:06:19 AM] Valerian: Valerian drinks the rest of his drink.

[3/12/2015 12:07:03 AM] Valerian: Now one.

[3/12/2015 12:07:14 AM] Valerian: What is it?

[3/12/2015 12:07:53 AM] Canto: Olid.:  There's this thing where you have to fight a kind of... avatar of the curse. It's gonna cause this reverberation through everyone that's cursed but not here right now.

[3/12/2015 12:08:19 AM] Valerian: Valerian nods.

[3/12/2015 12:08:36 AM] Valerian: ... will each of us have to do it? Holly and Quint and Day, I mean?

[3/12/2015 12:08:44 AM] Canto: Olid.:  No.

[3/12/2015 12:09:07 AM] Valerian: Good.

[3/12/2015 12:09:20 AM] Valerian: When will we fight?

[3/12/2015 12:09:35 AM] Canto: Olid.:  Pretty soon. Gonna send you back, resurrect you now.

[3/12/2015 12:09:55 AM] Valerian: Thank you. .... for everything.

[3/12/2015 12:10:17 AM] Canto: Olid.:  Hey, no problem. You're gonna go far, kid.

[3/12/2015 12:11:34 AM] Valerian: I hope so.

[3/12/2015 12:11:50 AM] Valerian: ... and I hope that's not because I get shot out of a slingshot and splattered across the cosmos.